WAKEFIELD FOOTBALL
Wolverines sink Pirates
with four second-half TDs
It is said the best defense is a good offense, and perhaps Wakefield football coach J.D. Dinwiddie and his coaching staff took the expression to heart Friday night. The Wolverines moved two of their defensive stalwarts — Terrance Scott and Josh Winstead — to the offensive side of the ball, and the pair helped Wakefield overcome a 7-0 halftime deficit and record a 28-7 victory over Durham Riverside.
Normally a safety, Scott led all rushers with 120 yards on the ground. Scott and fellow running back Mychal Jones did most of their damage running behind center Lawrence Keys and Winstead, a converted defensive lineman, playing his first game on the offensive line.
“He knew we were struggling on offense, and he volunteered to move to the other side of the ball to help us out," Dinwiddie said of Winstead.
When asked about Scott, Dinwiddie broke into a smile and said, “We knew he could run because he ran for the JV last year. He’s a hard runner. He’s tough to hit, and tough to catch. He’ll be in there in next week too.”
In the first quarter of Friday's non-conference finale, neither team effectively moved the ball or sustained a drive. Multiple procedural infractions didn't help, nor did the interceptions exchanged by Wakefield QB Connor Mitch and Riverside QB Andrew Evans .
Though Wakefield junior DB Dillon Carter made a sensational leaping pick of Evans at the Wakefield 19-yard line.
Late in the opening quarter, Wakefield started to find success moving the ball on the ground. Mitch handed off to Scott —starting in place of Courtney Crews — on five consecutive plays, tallying 24 yards and two first downs.
But Wakefield lost momentum following the start of the second quarter, and were forced to punt.
The second period was nearly as sloppy as the first, though the Pirates were able to capitalize on a Wakefield miscue and take an early lead.
With less than two minutes remaining before halftime, Riverside rolled a punt deep in Wakefield's territory. After an illegal block penalty against the Wolverines pushed the ball to the 12-yard line, Wakefield fumbled two plays later giving the Pirates the ball inside the 20-yard line.
On first down, Riverside running back Chauncey Burgess bounced off a few tacklers and spun his way to the 2-yard line. Burgess led the Pirates with 51 yards rushing.
Moises Ramirez and the Wakefield front seven stonewalled the Riverside attack on two downs, but on third and goal from the 1-yard line, Philip Jones punched the ball into the end zone for a 6-0 Riverside lead.
The Pirates' successful PAT pushed their lead to 7-0, just moments before halftime.
In the second half, the Wolverines used a stout defense and opportunistic special teams' play to fight back into contention.
After forcing a Riverside punt, Wakefield was called for roughing the kicker, giving Riverside a new set of downs.
But the defense held again, and Riverside punted once more. However, the Wolverines swooped in and blocked the punt cleanly. Senior Matt Yovanovich then chased down the loose football and scrambled into the end zone for a touchdown. With the extra point, the Wolverines tied the contest at 7-7.
Although Wakefield had momentum now, the Wolverines' offense still couldn't get its wheels turning, and again had to punt from the Riverside 39-yard line. But Wakefield surprised the Pirates as Scott took a direct snap from the center and ran down to the 5-yard line.
“I was frustrated, and we work on (that play) everyday in practice," Dinwiddie shrugged later. "We needed something to give us a spark, and change the emotion of the game.”
On second and goal from the one, Scott broke a tackle behind the line of scrimmage and reached the end zone. With 1:18 left in the third quarter, Wakefield now led 14-7.
If the third quarter belonged to special teams, then Wolverines' offense laid claim to the fourth.
With offensive line sustaining blocks, the rushing lanes seemingly grew wider.
Having been bottled up most of the night, Jones gave Wakefield some breathing room when he hit a big hole between Keys and Winstead and raced 60 yards for the score. The PAT made it 21-7.
Following Jones' touchdown, Evans completed three quick passes as Riverside put a drive together.
But on third and short, Wakefield junior K.J. Ward sacked the Pirates quarterback for a five-yard loss. The hit left Evans shaken up and he had to come out for a few plays. However, the Pirates continued to move the ball anyway, completing two more passes for first downs.
Evans re-entered the game and drove Riverside to the 7-yard line, but the Pirates stalled right there, failing to get a score on fourth downs.
With Scott and Jones alternating carries, the Wakefield offensive line took over on the next drive. Scott broke off runs of 13 and 20 yards, leading Wakefield to the Pirates' 29-yard line.
On first down, Mitch threw a beautiful ball to WR Nigel King — making his season debut following an offseason injury — who beat two defenders to the right corner of the end zone. But the ball unfortunately fell through the junior's hands.
Two plays later, the Wolverines went back to the play — on the opposite side of the field. This time King pulled down the 25-yard touchdown catch.
“I’m proud of you, the effort was there, but we need to work on the execution," Dinwiddie told his huddled team following the contest. "Let’s put four quarters together.”
With Cap-7 Conference action set to begin next week – Wakefield hosts Sanderson Friday, Sept. 25 — the Wolverines will try to carry over their second-half success against the Spartans. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
