Rosewood starts fast, defeats South Lenoir

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 20, 2014 11:53 PM

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DEEP RUN -- Expecting punt, Rosewood quarterback Cameron Helt walked toward the sideline and removed his helmet.

He grabbed a water bottle.

Seconds later, someone shouted for him to return to the field.

Eagle head coach Robert Britt decided to gamble on fourth down just inside the midfield stripe on South Lenoir's side of the field.

"Coach (Josh) Smith said we were going punt and I thought that I was going to have a break," Helt said. "We were going to have defense, have time to regenerate and wipe sweat off.

"I heard people in the stands yelling we were still on offense. Honestly, I knew as soon as I saw the safety come up, I knew Quan (Joyner) would be open."

Helt rushed to the huddle, got the play and took the snap. The first-year varsity starter threw the ball over top of the Blue Devils' defense and hooked up with Joyner for a 40-yard completion.

Mike Woodard cashed in two plays later and the insurance touchdown helped preserve the Eagles' 27-18, non-conference triumph on Friday evening. Rosewood (2-3 overall) extended its modest victory streak to two games and denied South Lenoir's attempt to win three consecutive victories since 2006.

Helt completed 8 of 10 passes for 111 yards.

"I believe that my offensive line held their ground, did everything they could to protect and protect Mike (Woodard)," said Helt, who threw touchdown passes to Joyner and Marquail Almontaser.

"I owe it all to them."

The Eagles manufactured a 14-point lead on Woodard's 51-yard touchdown run and Joyner's 21-yard scoring strike from Helt. Senior defensive end Jordan Dail's fumble recovery -- one of two on the night -- set up Joyner's score.

Senior Nick Martin recovered a fumble and picked off two passes for a defensive unit that sacked Blue Devils quarterback Nick Hunter on three occasions. South Lenoir compiled 295 yards of total offense, including a 179-yard rushing effort from senior Noah Stroud.

"They were physical," Martin said. "We got our confidence back, everyone played their role and we did what we had to do to get a stop. Everybody was just playing in their spot and they happened to throw it (two INTs) into my zone."

Martin's fumble recovery led to Woodard's 5-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Woodard, who churned out a hard-earned 79 yards on 21 carries, followed James Madison commit Tyree Chavious who cleared a path to the end zone with his 6-foot-4, 280-pound frame.

Rosewood finished with 283 yards of total offense, but ran just 43 offensive plays compared to 63 for South Lenoir.

"I thought that our kids did a great job of matching South Lenoir's intensity," RHS head coach Robert Britt said. "We knew that they were going to be real aggressive, knew they were going to play hard.

"It was a tough game, but our kids really never got down. They kept playing real hard even though at times things weren't always going good for us."