WAKEFIELD FOOTBALL
Wake Forest-Rolesville running back Trea Jones scored on runs of 4, 5, 8 and 37 yards during Friday night's 47-0 win over Wakefield. All four of Jones' touchdowns came in the first half.
Jones, Cougars clobber Wolverines
WF-R running back gains 168 yards, adds four TDs
Moments after watching Wake Forest-Rolesville running back Trea Jones dash in for his third of four first-half touchdowns in the Cougars' 47-0 pasting of Wakefield Friday, Wolverine coach J.D. Dinwiddie shook his head and offered the only conclusion a coach might have at that moment.
"We're getting taken to the wood shed right now," he shrugged.
And one can only assume the shed is located somewhere in the Cougars' end zone.
In a rivalry contest billed as featuring the Cap-7 Conference's top two teams, WF-R (8-0; 3-0) established itself as the league's unquestioned leader, gaining more than 500 yards of total offense and throttling the Wolverines (6-3; 3-1) on the ground, and then through the air.
The Cougars scored on all four of its first-half possessions, each one capped by Jones, who scored from 8, 4, 37 and 5 yards out.
With the Wolverines loading up to stop the run in the second half, WF-R quarterback Dan Tomchik aired it out to receiver Fabian Seabrooks, connecting on touchdown receptions of 25 and 53 yards on back-to-back possessions. Cougar running back James Harris tacked on another TD run in the fourth quarter, concluding the rout's scoring.
Highlights from Friday's contest between Wakefield and WF-R.
"We got our butts whipped," Dinwiddie admitted. "They outplayed us. They outclassed us. They did everything better than we did. It just didn't fall into place tonight."
Just a week removed from their 35-32 thriller over Leesville Road, the Wolverines never established an offensive attack as eight of their nine possessions lasted less than six plays, including six three-and-outs.
Just how bad was the Wolverines' offense? Wakefield tallied just 74 yards of total offense, with 45 of those yards coming on Courtney Crews' fourth quarter scamper while trailing 47-0.
Wakefield was held to minus 3 yards rushing, and mustered only four plays longer than five yards.
On the other side, Jones finished with 168 yards on 22 carries to lead the Cougars' ground game. Harris added another 133 on 19 carries. Tomchik threw just seven times, completing six — all of which went to Seabrooks. The Cougars receiver finished with 193 yards.
After the game, while addressing his team, Dinwiddie tried to refocus his disappointed squad.
"When you lay in bed all week and envisioned this game, you certainly don't think it's going to go this way. But it did," he said. "When you win, you have to learn how to handle success. When you lose, you have to learn how to handle adversity.
"You can do one of two things right now: we can feel sorry for ourselves and pack it in. Or we can make it a learning experience."
In Wakefield's most disappointing loss prior to the WF-R match-up — a 28-14 defeat at Holly Springs — ball control killed the Wolverines as they committed five turnovers. But it wasn't giveaways which hurt Friday, in fact Wakefield didn't commit any.
(Though Niklas Sade's 36-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter was swatted by a charging Marcus Jones.)
Wake Forest-Rolesville receiver Fabian Seabrooks (left) fights for extra yards during the first half of Friday's game as Wakefield's Dillon Carter and Darius Brown close in for a tackle. Seabrooks scored two second-half touchdowns in WF-R's 47-0 win.
The Wolverines' biggest issue was just staying on the field — remember the aforementioned six three-and-outs? The Cougars stymied the Wakefield running attack, and when QB Patrick Johnstone dropped back to pass, blitzers weren't far behind. And of the 10 passes the Wolverines did complete, six went for five yards or less.
A week removed from a 185-yard performance, Wakefield receiver Nigel King never got going against the Cougars, hauling in two passes for just 16 yards. Though it was apparent the junior wasn't near 100 percent health-wise.
The Wolverines also lost defensive lineman Will Butler, one of the best interior players in the conference, midway through the first half, which undoubtedly weakened Wakefield's run defense. The hamstring injury left the junior with a severe limp, and he didn't see the field after the second quarter.
With few positives to take away from Friday, the Wolverines look to get back on track hosting Enloe Friday, Oct. 23.
Dinwiddie told to his squad not to dwell on the defeat, explaining they can only control what's ahead of them now.
"[This loss] is in the rear-view mirror," he said. "Last time I checked you don't drive in reverse. Take down the rearview mirror, it's over. We regroup. We come back together and refocus and we get better."
