Millbrook football
PHOTO BY ROB ORAZI
WF-R's Darren Kirby (2) tripped up Millbrook's Michael Thornton (20) in the second half of the Cougars' 48-0 victory Friday night. WF-R improved to 10-0, including 5-0 in conference.
WF-R routs Wildcats 48-0
Undefeated Cougars clinich Cap-7 title with victory
It might be hard to remember following the Millbrook football team's humbling 48-0 defeat at the hands of Wake Forest-Rolesville Friday night, but the Wildcats' wheels didn't fall off right away.
The Cougars' seven touchdowns just made it feel that way.
In fact, 12 minutes into the Cap-7 Conference contest, the two squads were still deadlocked in a scoreless tie, and Millbrook had already driven deep into Cougars' territory — though WF-R's Darren Kirby blocked their field goal attempt — and thwarted WF-R's first two possessions.
And after halting WF-R's third drive at the Millbrook four-yard line, the Wildcats seemed hellbent on not allowing the Cougars to clinch the conference title Friday in front of a fired up senior night crowd.
Alas, the Cougars' stellar defense — which allows fewer than five points a contest — got the WF-R ball rolling as senior defensive back Will Braddy picked off a Trey McFarland pass and dashed 14 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter.
Though the PAT failed, giving the Cougars a 6-0 lead.
For highlights from Millbrook's game at Wake Forest-Rolesville Oct. 30, click on our video.
After forcing a Millbrook punt five plays later, the WF-R special teams' unit upped the lead to 12-0 as speedster Darren Kirby raced 60 yards to paydirt. Running back Trea Jones — who led all rushers with 78 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries — added a successful two-point conversion, giving WF-R a 14-0 lead with 6:29 left before half.
With just 15 seconds left before intermission, the Cougars delivered a final first-half punch as Jones dashed in for a 19-yard touchdown.
Although the score gave the Cougars a 21-0 lead, it was the first touchdown allowed by the Wildcats' defense.
Following the game, Millbrook coach Clarence Inscore said it wasn't just one phase of the Cougars' game which stood out in the shutout.
"A little bit of everything impressed me about Wake Forest," he said. "They did a lot of good things well, and we did not today. While they played well, we made a lot of mistakes."
The Cougars especially flexed its muscle on the defensive side of the ball, allowing the Wildcats to amass just 59 total yards of offense and three first downs in the first two quarters.
And of Millbrook's seven first-half possessions, only one — the opening 8-play drive which led to the field goal attempt — lasted more than five snaps.
PHOTO BY ROB ORAZI
Wake Forest-Rolesville defender Brandon Reynolds (82) wraps up Millbrook quarterback Trey McFarland (with ball) in the Cougars' 48-0 win Friday night.
But the Wildcats showed signs of life midway through the third quarter as McFarland connected with Scott Gray on a 48-yard pitch-and-catch, putting Millbrook at the WF-R 17-yard line. However, the momentum didn't last long as the Cougars' Marcus Jones derailed the drive, picking off a pass, which slipped through a Wildcat receiver's hands, two snaps later.
Following Jones' pick and 40-yard return, the Cougars strung together four consecutive scoring drives, each capped by a different runner or receiver.
First, James Harris reached the end zone on a 18-yard run, then QB Dan Tomchik hit Fabian Seabrooks on a 35-yard TD-catch, Jones later dashed in from four yards out and Marquel Dunn closed out the Cougars' scoring breaking off a 30-yard TD run with 5:15 left in the game.
During the Cougars' scoring spree the Wildcats didn't muster a single first down during their four possessions, and finished with just one new set of downs — on Gray's long catch — in the entire half.
Millbrook concluded the contest with just 139 yards of total offense, and recorded just two plays of more than 10 yards.
Inscore explained the Wildcats' sluggishness could be traced back to a poor week of preparation, adding the squad's 39-23 upset of Leesville Road the previous week might have caused some distraction.
"Maybe it was a lack of focus, and maybe there was a hangover from the big win last week," he shrugged as the Wildcats made their way to the buses following the game. "To let that happen, that's our fault as coaches. We have to do a better job of preparing the team."
Asked how he'll refocus the Wildcats in time for next week's regular-season finale against Enloe, Inscore said. "We are going to work on that tonight. We are going to work on that right now [on the trip home]."
For the Cougars, Tomchick completed four of eight pass attempts for 65 yards — all four passes went to Seabrooks. Behind Jones, Harris tacked on 46 yards on eight carries, Delano Tavares added 34 yard on eight rushes and Dunn finished with 44 yards on just two attempts.
McFarland led the Wildcats' runners, tallying 44 yards on 10 rushes. The junior quarterback completed six of 22 passes for 75 yards and three interceptions. Gray finished with a team-high 53 yards on three catches.
Without the services of sophomore running back Keith Marshall — sidelined with a hand injury — the Wildcats never found the success on the ground Friday (64 yards) that it experienced last week against the Pride (240 yards).
The Wildcats (5-5) host Enloe Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. The Eagles lost to Sanderson 38-24 Friday night. WF-R (10-0) — having already clinched the league title — travels to Leesville Road (8-2) Friday. It is also a 7 p.m. start.
