WAKEFIELD FOOTBALL
Wakefield junior Denzel Brown rushed for three touchdowns and more than 100 yards against Millbrook Friday night. The 5-2 Wolverines host undefeated Leesville Road Friday.
Wolverines throttle Millbrook
Wakefield's 59 points most in school history, Dinwiddie said
It's hard to pinpoint exactly which Wolverines' highlight— and there were plenty to choose from in the Wakefield football team's 59-21 victory — spoiled Millbrook's homecoming festivities Friday night.
Was it Denzel Brown's 7-yard TD scamper less than two minutes into the game? Or maybe Michael Bailey's fumble recovery and touchdown just seven seconds later?
Either way, by the time freshman QB Connor Mitch hit Trip Foreman on a 7-yard TD pass midway through the first quarter, giving Wakefield a 21-0 lead, the Wolverines were officially — for the lack of a better term — a real party pooper.
And the Wolverines had help in dampening the celebration as Millbrook committed three turnovers in its first four possessions — all inside the Wildcats' territory.
Wakefield couldn't have scripted a better opening quarter, said head coach J.D. Dinwiddie, explaining "You always pray for a start like that."
But the Wolverines did what good teams do: take full advantage of their opportunities.
In the early-going, it was Wakefield defense creating the squad's good fortunes, led by defensive end Moises Ramirez.
Click here for highlights of the Millbrook/Wakefield football game Oct. 2.
After Dexter Trosclair intercepted Millbrook in the game's opening drive, and Bailey added his touchdown four plays later, Ramirez sacked Wildcat QB Trey McFarland for a 13-yard loss, forcing the Wildcats to punt their third possession away.
After a Wakefield turnover two plays later, Ramirez recovered a fumble at the Millbrook 2-yard line.
Following Foreman's TD reception, the Wildcats mounted their first drive past midfield, only to have the drive stall as Ramirez sacked McFarland again on third down. The Wolverines then squashed the Wildcats' field goal attempt with the help of a bad snap.
Ramirez's first quarter was what defensive players dream of, but ironically, the senior's day started on the bench.
"The truth is this week of practice wasn't my best, and the coaches kept me out of the first series," he shrugged. "I don't know if it was to teach me a lesson or fire me up, but the first play I got in there, I sacked him and I tried to hit the quarterback as hard as I could."
The senior later explained the contest was "by far one of the best games I have ever played — and I got to do it against Millbrook."
After the failed Millbrook kick, the Wolverines put together a 70-yard drive on just six plays as Foreman hauled in a 44-yard pass and Nigel King capped the possession with 25-yard TD catch, leaping over a Millbrook defensive back into the end zone. With the score, Wakefield took a 28-0 advantage just seconds into the second quarter.
The Wildcats' next drive went three-and-out, and Brown and the Wolverines capitalized on a short field.
Taking over at the Millbrook 33-yard line, the junior running back drove into the line on first down, spun his wheels for a moment, and busted to the outside, sprinting into the end zone.
With Niklas Sade's PAT, Wakefield led 35-0 with 9:37 remaining in the second quarter, and prompted the Wakefield student section to starting chanting "How's your homecoming?"
"Our offensive line has been working hard all week, and it paid off tonight," Brown said. "They made a bunch of big holes, and when you see them, you're eyes get big, and you just want to hit the hole has hard as you can. It's like winning the lottery when you see holes like that."
After trading uneventful possessions, Wakefield tacked on its final score of the first half as Mitch hit King on a 19-yard strike with 3:11 left.
Down 42-0, Millbrook senior Scott Gray tried to breathe life back into the Wildcats, racing 92 yards on the ensuing kickoff. But a penalty nullified the score, and only added to Millbrook's list of miscues.
The Wildcats finally reached the end zone on their ninth possession of the first half.
McFarland connected on back-to-back passes to Gray and Michael Thornton, combining for 56 yards. Four plays later, Thornton pulled down a 16-yard TD pass with 43.8 seconds remaining before halftime.
After a 49-point first half, the third quarter was remarkably quiet as the teams combined for three points — a Sade 34-yard field goal on Wakefield's first drive.
Twice during the quarter the Wolveriens rebuffed a Wildcat drive inside their territory, including a Darius Brown interception with 1:47 left.
Wakefield defensive tackle Will Butler was especially disruptive during the quarter — and throughout the game. "He is big, but he can get through the line fast," Ramirez said of Butler. "He uses his strength wisely. He is getting better everyday."
In the final quarter, Millbrook finally came alive as McFarland hit Thornton on a 54-yard touchdown bomb and four plays later Lucas Forner blocked a Wakefield punt. John Cervera then recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown. The special teams' score shrank Wakefield's lead to 45-21 with 10:40 left in the game.
The Wildcats' defense then responded with another stop, forcing another Wakefield punt attempt. But lined up at their 44-yard line, Dinwiddie signaled for a fake, and play-call caught Millbrook off-guard as Terrance Scott raced 56 yards for a touchdown.
Although Millbrook trailed by 24 points, Scott's run seemed like the final dagger in the Wildcats.
A gang of Wakefield tacklers race to meet Millbrook quarterback Trey McFarland (right) Friday.
On the next Wildcats' possession, Wakefield defensive back Tye Smith intercepted an errant pass on a Millbrook trick play, and returned the ball inside the red zone.
One play later, Brown recorded the final score of the game — and his third — with eight minutes remaining. The junior finished with 17 carries and 102 yards rushing.
Mitch was just as effective through the air, completing 14 of 22 passes for 199 yards, with three TDs and a pick. The freshman's interception came on Wakefield's third possession of the game as Millbrook defensive back Jarrick Feaster positioned himself perfectly to make the grab.
But Mitch bounced right back from the error, completing his next seven passes, including two for touchdowns.
"That kid never ceases to amaze me," Dinwiddie said of Mitch. "He has so much poise for a 14-year-old. I have never seen anything like it. I have been coaching a long time, and I have never seen a kid his age handle games like he does. He is a competitor. He is even-keeled. He never gets too high. Never too low."
King hauled in six catches for 112 yards and two scores, Foreman added three receptions for 63 and Alex Starnes also had three for 49. In the first quarter, Starnes made a leaping 39-yard catch in front of two defenders to set up Brown's first score.
Forced to throw the ball in an attempt to catch-up, McFarland passed 33 times, completing 14 for 238 yards. Thornton led the Wildcats with 104 receiving yards on just three catches. Gray and Dontre Price added three catches each for 29 and 35 yards, respectively.
For the most part, the Wolverines bottled up the Millbrook running game, limiting sensational sophomore back Keith Marshall to 48 yards on eight carries — 42 of those yards came on one first-quarter carry.
In the end, the most important discrepancy was turnovers as Wakefield committed just two, and the Wildcats had five — not including a failed field goal attempt.
It has been a recent trend Millbrook coach Clarence Inscore has seen too much of.
"We are just making too many mistakes against good teams," he said, alluding to turnover-ridden performances against Southern Durham and Broughton in recent weeks. "Right now, we have not learned from our mistakes. We keep repeating the same ones. There is no such thing as a bad mistake until you keep making it. And that's what we are doing right now."
The coach explained his Wildcats (3-4) were "dominated" physically by the Wolverines, and have to address that issue before next week's meeting at Sanderson.
In addition, Inscore pointed out the Wildcats' turnovers deep in their own territory gives their defense little opportunity to make a stop.
"We got down 21-0, and the defense hadn't really been on the field," he said. "If you look at the first half, they seemed to have the ball inside the 30-, 35-yard line every time.
You can't win football games like that."
On the opposite spectrum, the Wolverines continue their recent momentum, having won four of their last five games — including their last three by 21 points or more.
Dinwiddie — who believes his squad's 59 points is the most scored in school history — traced his team's success back to their preparation.
"We had our best week of practice this week," he said. "We talked about keeping our composure, and not getting over emotionally because this is a big rivalry game for us. I thought we handled [the atmosphere] well. Plus, we executed well and we took advantage of what we were given. I think we are turning into a pretty good team. And good teams take advantage of mistakes."
With the victory, the Wolverines improve 5-2 overall, and 2-0 in conference, heading into Friday's home game against 7-0 Leesville Road.
The match-up with the Pride will be the league's first marquee match-up — they are the conference's only 2-0 teams since WF-R had a bye — and Dinwiddie looks forward to the challenges ahead.
"I can't wait for the game," he said of the Pride. "We're looking forward to the showdown. This is what this conference is all about — playing teams like them, and games like that."
Added Ramirez, "With they way we're going, there's no stopping us."
