A quick start for Pineville led the Mountain Lions to their third victory of the season as they defeated Berea, 50-6.

“We talked all week about this being a briefcase game. That’s what we always call it,” said Pineville coach Bart Elam. “You show up with your briefcase, do your job and get the heck out of here. We tell our kids the truth. We tell them what we see on film from the get-go. We don’t try to hide it or false motivate.

“We told them Berea is a well-coached team. They’re a team that’s kind of backed up in the corner, and we’ve been in that spot before. (Berea) is trying to get momentum, and to get it it’s got to start somewhere. We told our kids not to let it start with us, and we preached that all week.”

Matt Golden had another good game on the ground. The senior tallied 115 yards on nine carries, all in the first half.

Garland Ellis showed his passing ability against the Pirates going 5-for-7 for 114 yards and three touchdowns. Landon Couch was his primary target hauling in two catches for 25 yard and two touchdowns.

It didn’t take long for Pineville to find the scoreboard early in the first. A 77-yard return on the opening kickoff by Devon Morris led to an 8-yard touchdown run by Golden. The two-point attempt failed with the Lions taking a 6-0 lead with 11:46 remaining in the first.

“We’ve worked real hard on our special teams for the last two years. This year it hadn’t really showed up yet, but (our) special teams have been really solid,” said Elam. “We work on it a lot more than I used to 10 years ago. We’re trying to be better in that part of the game. (Devon Morris) busted it up the middle for a big one. I think he’d probably kick himself in the tail for not scoring, but (the Berea defender) made a great hustle play. Our offense was able to punch it in.”

A three-and-out for the Pirates would prove to be detrimental. On fourth down, Eric Luppens punted the ball right into the upback giving Pineville possession in Berea territory.

It only took Pineville one play on the ensuing drive to find pay dirt. Ellis found Couch on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 9:31 remaining in the opening quarter. Morris converted the two-point to increase the Lions’ lead to 14-0.

After a second three-and-out by the Pirates, the Lions went on the march again. An eight-play drive ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Hayden Callebs. The two-point run by the freshman failed, and Pineville increased their lead to 20-0 with 2:59 remaining in the first.

Berea wasn’t out of the game just yet. A turnover by Pineville gave the Pirates momentum. The Lions held Berea to third down, but a late hit allowed the Pirates to maintain possession. Three plays later, Luppens scored on a 1-yard plunge to cut the lead to 20-6 with 7:41 remaining in the half.

Pineville answered on the ensuing drive after a 58-yard run by Golden moved the Lions down to the Berea 2. Three plays later, Ellis drove the ball up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown with 5:47 remaining in the half to increase the lead to 26-6.

Pineville scored two more times before the half came to an end. With 1:34 remaining, Ellis connected with Morris for a 23-yard touchdown that increased the lead to 34-6. Just over a minute later, Ellis hit Couch on an 8-yard pass to give the junior his second touchdown reception of the game. The score ballooned Pineville’s lead to 42-6.

The touchdown at the end of the half initiated the running clock for the remainder of the game. The Lions scored their final touchdown of the game with 4:42 left to play. Landon King scored from 7 yards out to put the exclamation point on the game with Pineville walking away with the 44-point victory.

Up Next

Pineville (3-1) will host rival Middlesboro on Friday.

Berea (0-3) will host Paris on Sept. 21.