FOOTBALL -- Helt's fourth-quarter TD puts Hobbton away

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on September 26, 2015 6:04 PM

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By RUDY COGGINS

rcoggins@newsargus.com

His left knee heavily wrapped in ice, Rosewood quarterback Cameron Helt limped off the field and toward the fieldhouse at halftime Thursday evening.

Helt thought his night was over until Hobbton pulled to within a single touchdown in the fourth quarter, which closed the gap to 20-14 with nine-plus minutes to go.

RHS head coach Robert Britt called his junior signal caller back into duty.

"I knew the offense was kind of struggling and I figured that I could get them moving again, and that's exactly what happened," said Helt, who watched his team lose two third-quarter fumbles and botch a punt, which set up the Wildcats' second touchdown of the game.

Rosewood's first offensive series with Helt ended on downs inside the Wildcats' red zone. But the Eagles' second possession, capped by Helt's 30-yard touchdown run, secured a 27-14 victory at Branch Pope Field.

It was the Carolina 1-A Conference opener for both teams.

Helt didn't think he'd get into the end zone.

"Whenever I was almost at the end zone and I juked the last guy, my knee just started pounding with pain," said Helt, who rushed for 108 yards in the fourth quarter and finished with 157 for the game.

"I'm tight from squatting (in weight lifting) on Tuesday and all these factors were just weighing against me. I owe it all to God. He pushed me through the end zone."

Let's not forget workhorse Mike Woodard.

The senior running back rambled for a season-high 224 yards -- 22 yards less than Hobbton's total offensive output for the game. He tallied three first-half touchdowns on runs of 4, 16 and 35 yards as Rosewood built a 20-7 advantage by halftime.

Woodard had 35 touches on 61 offensive plays.

"He's a beast," Helt said.

Rosewood's defense saved its offense by forcing four second-half turnovers -- all interceptions. Woodard picked off two passes, while Marquail Al-montaser and Kenny Chandler each recorded one INT.

"We knew coming into halftime we had to keep our heads up and finish strong," Woodard said. "We played hard and read our keys. When I saw the ball, I just attacked it."

The Eagles (4-2 overall, 1-0 CC) fumbled on their first offensive possession of the game. Helt then directed touchdown drives on each of Rosewood's next three series, including a 97-yard march that chewed up nearly 4 1/2 minutes on the clock after the Eagles' defense forced the Wildcats into a turnover on downs.

Woodard had 158 yards rushing by halftime.

"Everybody knows that Mike is going to tote it more than anybody else, but we've still got to take what the defense gives us," Britt said. "I thought in the first half offensively we were controlling the tempo. In the second half, Hobbton did a great job of keeping their kids in it and they played hard from whistle to whistle from the first quarter to the end.

"(They) made it close."

Sophomore Josh Polk tallied Hobbton's lone first-half touchdown -- a 64-yard run just seconds after Rosewood put its first score on the board. Polk and backfield mate Raekwon Bryant combined for 144 yards rushing.

Omar Farrior collected the Wildcats' second-half TD.