Eagles' backfield stays on same page in home victory

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on August 26, 2012 1:52 AM

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Rosewood wanted redemption for a shutout defeat in the opening week of the high school football season.

The Eagles got their wish.

Rosewood rolled up 300 yards on the ground and blasted Wake Christian 39-13 at Branch Pope Field on Friday night.

"Offensively we are still a work in progress, but tonight we definitely improved," Rosewood head coach Robert Britt said. "We were able to get our backs on the same page and that allowed us to use the misdirection a little bit and open up some holes."

The game started with Wake Christian going three-and-out and punting on its opening possession of the game. Rosewood's Joshua Davis ran the ball back 78 yards for a touchdown. Maquail Almontser's extra point put the Eagles ahead 7-0.

Rosewood (1-1 overall) added to its lead in the second quarter when Spencer Garrison crossed the goal line from two yards out. The Eagles led 13-0 at the half.

"We made a play on defense and forced a turnover deep in (Wake Christian) territory," Britt said. "We needed to take advantage of the field position and we were able to do that with some powerful runs."

The third quarter was all Rosewood.

Jamari McGowan broke loose for a 21-yard scoring run on the Eagles' first possession of the second half. Following an interception just two plays later, McGowan hauled in a 42-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Sasser and put the Eagles ahead 27-0.

McGowan put the game away on Rosewood's next drive with a 58-yard samper to paydirt that essentially put the game away.

Wake Christian quarterback Beau Barger tossed a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, but the game was already well in hand. Garrison capped the Eagles' scoring with a late 12-yard touchdown dash.

"Our offensive and defensive lines did a really nice job all night," Britt said. "We made some adjustments from last week and we were able to keep some fresh legs on the field and I feel like that really helped us.

McGowan led the Eagles with 109 yards on just nine carries. Garrison added 98 yards on 22 totes and Davis finished with 83 yards on 13 rushes. Sasser added 10 yards on the ground and completed one pass for 42 yards and a touchdown.

Barger led the Bulldogs with a meager 10 yards rushing. The junior did most of his damage through the air however, as he racked-up 173 yards on 14 completions and two touchdowns. Hunter Wilson and Tim Bunn each finished with a touchdown reception.

"Seeing a pass-heavy offense like this is good for us," Britt said. "We need that experience for when we play teams in our conference that can pass the ball."

Rosewood travels to Midway next week.