WAKEFIELD FOOTBALL
Junior wide receiver Nigel King (with ball) scored three touchdowns in the Wolverines' 35-32 win over Leesville Road Friday night. The victory gives Wakefield a 3-0 record in conference play.
King, Wolverines battle past Pride
In the closing seconds of the Wakefield football team's 35-32 upset win over Leesville Road Friday night, the Pride's desperation heave fittingly fell in the hands of Wolverine standout Nigel King.
On a night when the junior receiver hauled in nine catches for 185 yards and three touchdowns, including a 38-yard TD in the third quarter — which resulted in the Wakefield student section serenading him with a chorus of "Happy Birthday" — King came up largest in the game's biggest moments. (And, yes, it was his birthday.)
"That's why we're glad we have him," said Wakefield coach J.D. Dinwiddie following the game. "If we need a big play, we have other guys who are capable. But when we need a momentum changer, Nigel's the guy who can get it done. And he did it tonight."
But it was more than a one-man show which held off a relentless Pride squad, led by a hobbled, yet gutsy QB Josh Stanley.
Twice Leesville faced double-digit deficits Friday night, but neither time did the Pride back down, including a last-ditch effort in the final six minutes.
Trailing 28-18 midway through the fourth, Leesville capitalized on a short field — taking over at the Wakefield 20-yard line — as RB Nate Whittington busted into the end zone from three yards out.
Check out the highlights from Friday's match-up between Leesville Road and Wakefield.
However, the Wolverines responded with an 80-yard drive capped by Denzel Brown's 15-yard touchdown dash.
Wakefield reserve QB Patrick Johnstone — who stepped in for an injured Connor Mitch in the first quarter — delivered a clutch 23-yard completion to Alex Starnes to get the series moving. Brown then gained 20 yards on four carries and King tacked on a 22-yard catch, putting the Wolverines in position for the touchdown run.
With 2:09 remaining, now trailing 35-25, the Pride still refused to give in, compiling its own 80-yard drive. Twice Stanley connected with Logan Bible, setting up Gerroid Doughty's 32-yard TD reception.
But Leesville's on-side kick attempt failed, the Wolverines forced the Pride to use the remainder of its timeouts to stop the drive. When Leesville got the ball back with 47 seconds remaining, the situation was nearly insurmountable. They needed to drive 61 yards for a win, with no way to stop the clock.
Having played the entire fourth quarter with a limp, Stanley could only complete one of his final seven pass attempts — the last one falling into King's hands at the end of the game.
With his squad depleted by injuries — back-up Austin Berrios was injured — Stanley played the final 12 minutes visibility beaten up. The Wolverines sacked the Leesville quarterback six times Friday — likely hit him another half-dozen times on pass attempts — and the pressure was taking its toll. But the junior never quit.
"Josh is tough. He is a competitor," said Leesville Road head coach David Green. The Wakefield coaching staff echoed Green's praise of Stanley.
Dinwiddie explained the Wolverines' defensive front, led by Moises Ramirez and Will Butler, appeared to wear down the Pride's offensive line in the third quarter, setting the stage for Wakefield's comeback from a 15-14 halftime deficit.
Wakefield defensive coordinator Jamie Ayers credited his upperclassmen for overcoming a lackluster first half, and delivering in the game's final 24 minutes.
"Before halftime, I got on them because we were doing a good job of pointing fingers," he said. "But after I left, I heard Moises apologizing, and I heard him and the other guys taking ownership. Once we got them on board, we were in good shape."
In fact, early on, the Wolverines appeared in great form, picking up right where they left off last week against Millbrook. (In case you forgot, the Wolverines defeated the Wildcats 59-21.)
After a Wakefield three-and-out started the game, Ramirez recovered a fumble on the Pride's opening snap, giving the Wolverines the ball at the Leesville 34-yard line. Five plays later, Mitch connected with King on a 7-yard touchdown reception.
Unfortunately for the Wolverines, however, Mitch sustained a shoulder injury on a fumbled snap one play before the pass. The freshman managed to will himself through the next play, but once on the sidelines he succumbed to the pain, and left the game. (The injury might keep the ninth-grader out of action for six to eight weeks.)
"To stay in there on the next play, that says a lot about him, and his toughness," Dinwiddie said later.
Leesville's next drive stalled out after 10 plays, and Johnstone took over the reigns of the Wolverine offense. The junior wasted little time getting warm, completing his first three pass attempts —all to King. The final reception to the wideout went for 37 yards and a touchdown.
With Niklas Sade's PAT, the Wolverines lead 14-0 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Prior to his first drive, Wakefield assistant Cliff Crabtree pulled Johnstone aside and implored him to remain loose.
"The coaches told me to stay calm, and not to think," the quarterback laughed recalling the exchange. "They just wanted me to stay relaxed, stay confidence. And they told me they had faith in me."
Johnstone didn't disappoint, completing 17 of 29 attempts for 268 yards in the victory.
"I couldn't ask him to do anything more than what he did," Dinwiddie said.
Added King, "It was an opportunity for Pat to come in and show the coaches what he could do, and he played well."
Leesville Road QB Josh Stanley displayed remarkable toughness in Friday's game at Wakefield, and nearly led the Pride back from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit.
After trading four possessions without points through the early stages of the second quarter, the Pride then mounted its first drive inside the Wakefield red zone. But the Wolverines stripped Berrios inside the 10-yard line, and Ramirez again come up with the ball.
"He is always in the right spot at the right time," Johnstone said of Ramirez. "He just makes plays."
The Wolverines' excitement didn't last long, however, as Wakefield's next snap traveled through the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety.
Two plays later, Stanley hit a wide-open Bible on a 52-yard touchdown pass with 2:16 left before halftime. With the Chris Hawthorne PAT, the Pride trailed 14-9.
Wakefield's ensuing drive last just three plays, and Leesville took over with 1:07 remaining before intermission.
After a Wakefield interception was waved off because of a penalty, Stanley hit a streaking Berrios on a 51-yard TD reception. The two-point conversion failed, but Leesville still carried a 15-14 lead into halftime.
With Hawthorne nailing a 36-yard field goal attempt on Leesville's first second-half possession, the Pride appeared to have the game's momentum.
But Johnstone strung together a 11-play, 79-yard drive thanks to a third-down, over-the-shoulder catch by Trip Foreman for 25 yards. Two plays later, WR Alex Starnes fought off two defenders — and a hand in his face — to pull down a touchdown in the corner of the end zone. King said he expects Starnes to make catches because "he goes hard every single play."
The score gave Wakefield a 21-18 lead with 4:51 remaining in the third quarter, and the Wolverines never trailed again.
King tacked on his final touchdown — followed by "Happy Birthday" — a possession later. The junior later called the contest "the best game I have ever played."
Stanley finished 12 of 30 for 247 yards through the air, and 19 carries for 47 yards on the ground. Bible (four catches; 84 yards), Berrios (three; 61) and Thurston Cox (three; 55) all finished with more than 50 yards receiving.
Whittington added five carries for 36 yards, with a touchdown, and Cox had five for 33.
For the Wolverines, Starnes finished with five catches for 55 yards — all in the second half. Foreman added three for 38 yards.
Brown carried 16 times for 38 yards and a score.
Green chalked up the defeat to his squad's inability to sustain effort and execution.
"Unfortunately, there were times when we didn't play well or play hard," he said. "If you are going to play against good football teams, you have to play every down. And everybody has to play every down. And not just some people."
The Leesville coach singled out Stanley, Cox and a handful of others for fighting through fatigue and injuries.
"They played their hearts out," Green said. "They played as hard as they could, giving us what they had.
"But when it comes down to it, you got to make plays and we didn't."
Dinwiddie pointed out the Wolverines' win means a great deal, having knocked off a program he thinks highly of.
"This is a great win for us," he said. "Since I took over the head job, I've seen the success that Leesville and Coach Green have had, and that's because of their continuity and experience. We're trying to build that with our program, too.
"It's the same way Earl Smith did it at Wake Forest-Rolesville. It takes a while, but I think we're getting there."
Coincidently, the Wolverines' next challenge is Friday against the Cougars at Heritage High.
Both teams, Wakefield (6-2 overall; 3-0 in conference) and WF-R (7-0; 2-0 in conference), enter the match-up undefeated in league action.
Leesville (7-1) looks to rebound, hosting Sanderson (1-6) Friday, Oct. 16.
