WAKEFIELD FOOTBALL
Wakefield running back Courtney Crews needed a moment to himself after watching Garner rally from a 10-point deficit to pull out a 21-17 victory over the Wolverines Friday night.
Fourth-quarter rally leads Garner over Wakefield
Although Juwan Moye's 56-yard scamper in the fourth quarter didn't reach the end zone, the Garner running back's fourth-down dash dealt a punch the Wakefield football team never recovered from Friday night.
The play essentially ignited the Trojans' late rally as Garner overcame a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit, prevailing 21-17 in the 4-AA state playoff first-round match-up.
"That was a killer," Wakefield head coach J.D. Dinwiddie later said of Moye's run.
Why was the play so devastating? Because a defensive stop could have clinched a Wolverine victory.
Trailing 17-7, following consecutive Wakefield touchdown-scoring drives, Garner appeared, not just on the ropes, but set up for a knock-out blow.
Click here for highlights of Wakefield's playoff game at Garner Nov. 13.
And facing a fourth-and-1 on their own 39-yard line, Garner elected to chance a turnover-on-downs, handing off to Moye who burst right, and skipped past the first-down markers and into the Wakefield secondary. After being spun around by a defender, Moye reversed field and raced down to the Wolverine 5-yard line.
Two players later, Garner QB Lemond Johnson hit Dwight Darity on a touchdown pass, breathing new life into the Trojans, and closing the Wakefield lead to 17-14.
Wolverine defensive coordinator Jamie Ayers said he called a blitz on the fourth-down play, which "took us out of position at the end. We got washed down and there was no one left to fill and make the tackle."
Ayers later lamented his play-call, explaining "We had the game won. We were where we needed to be. The offense had just scored and we had our best group our there. It was just one of those things."
Following Moye's big run and Darity's TD catch, the Trojans forced a Wakefield three-and-out.
Garner then responded with a 80-yard touchdown drive, helped by a personal foul penalty and a 34-yard run by Moye. Demetrius Fairley capped off the Trojan possession, bursting into the end zone from two yards out. With 3:39 remaining, Garner led 21-17 — a lead it wouldn't surrender.
Wakefield didn't give itself a chance to retaliate, fumbling away the ensuing kickoff. Following a quick stop, Wakefield got the ball back with less than two minutes remaining, but Garner's Bryan Watkins' picked off a Connor Mitch pass with 1:09 left sealing the victory.
"I think our kids played hard, and it was a good football game," Dinwiddie said. "I just think they made one more big play than we did."
Although Wakefield and Garner tallied 28 total second-half points, neither team could get rolling early, especially in the opening quarter. Together the squads combined for just three first downs in the first period.
But the Wolverines managed to take a 3-0 lead on a 23-yard Niklas Sade field goal seven minutes into the contest. The kick was set up by a Mitch to Nigel King 39-yard screen pass.
Two possessions later, Garner took over on the Wakefield 41-yard line, and the Trojans capitalized on good field position as Fairley broke off a 29-yard touchdown run.
With 9:09 left before halftime, the Trojans had a 7-3 advantage, which held up through intermission.
The Wolverines never found a consistent attack in the first two quarters, notching just three first downs.
After missing more than a month with a shoulder injury, Wakefield freshman QB Connor Mitch returned to action Friday against Garner, passing for 268 yards on 12 of 25 attempts.
The second half started off sloppy as the teams traded fumbles to start the third quarter.
But just when the Wolverines looked as if they might never get on track, Mitch orchestrated a quick five-play, 80-yard drive, highlighted by Alex Starnes' 57-yard touchdown catch.
On third-down-and-7, from Wakefield's 43-yard line, Mitch pumped faked drawing the Trojan secondary in, and hit Starnes over the top. The senior receiver then shook off a Garner defensive back, and raced the final 25 yards into the end zone all alone.
Wakefield kept the momentum, forcing Garner off the field with a turnover on downs.
Mitch went right back to work hitting Trip Foreman on a 13-yard pass and Starnes for seven more, setting up a beautifully precise lob to Denzel Brown for 35 yards.
Nigel King then hauled in a 20-yard TD pass on the next snap, but the junior was called for offensive pass interference. On the very next play, Mitch went back to King, who then scored from 35 yards out — with no penalty flags.
As King raced to the sidelines and jumped into Mitch in celebration, the Wolverines appeared in total control, leading 17-7 with 10:43.
But five plays later, Moye ruined Wakefield's victory plans.
Mitch finished with 268 yards passing on 12 of 25 attempts, with two TDs and two INTs. Starnes hauled in four catches for 79 yards and a touchdown, and Brown and King both finished with 74 receiving yards apiece.
The Wolverines' ground game never really got going, and Courtney Crews finished with a team-high 10 yards on seven carries.
Moye tallied 172 yards on 18 rushes, and Fairley added 50 yards on seven.
Johnson passed 16 times, completing seven for 67 yards.
"There are some things we could have done better, but the bottom line is you all played hard," a teary-eyed Dinwiddie told his team following the game. "You all left it on the field."
Following his post-game speech with the team, Dinwiddie explained his gratitude to his senior class, and how hard it is knowing that group played its last game.
"I hate it," he said. "You hate to see those guys leave. It's not the most talented group, but they have a lot of heart. They play the game the way it's supposed to be played, and it's refreshing to have kids like that."
Added Ayers, "It's the kind of guys you want playing for you all the time."
