PREP FOOTBALL: Warriors can't solve Trojans' up-tempo offense

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on November 20, 2016 1:45 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

South Johnston's Fabian McDonald positioned himself under the kick, secured the football and immediately darted forward.

He waltzed into the end zone 15 seconds later.

The 71-yard kickoff return officially began a track meet in New Hope on Friday evening. The Warriors could never match the pace and fell 52-7 in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A (small-school) playoffs.

"We've seen (a kick-off return) before," said EW head coach Leander Oates. "It happened to us earlier in the season. We thought we made a few adjustments to stop that. Stuff like that you just can't have...Great return -- definitely a back breaker at the beginning."

After the touchdown, EW gained only seven yards on its first possession and quickly punted the ball back to the Trojans.

Pinned inside its own 10-yard line, South Johnston went on a 14-play, 92-yard drive that ended with Jaequan Wells' 4-yard touchdown run.

EW's Junious Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 74 yards to the end zone, which pulled the Warriors to within 14-7.

On the next defensive possession, Juwan Holmes grabbed an interception when the Trojans were driving in the red zone. The momentum proved to be false hope. As soon as South Johnston's offense regained the football, Wells broke through for a 40-yard TD run.

"Any time we get a big play, it's always good to hustle down there," said Trojans' head coach Matthew Riggsbee. "Because most of the time, the defense is going to be a little sluggish. So that's just what we were trying to do. The fact that we can change our tempo means a lot, as well."

The Trojans proceeded to score touchdowns on their next three possessions of the first half. Deparis Patterson ran 47 yards to the end zone and racked up passing TDs measuring 62 and 12 yards.

SJ led 42-7 at the break.

"On film (South Johnston) didn't look like they were up-tempo," Oates said. "With (Patterson) at quarterback, I mean that kid can pretty much control the field and all areas. And when he opened it up with his passing game, that definitely opened it up for their offense and the up-tempo movement."

Patterson finished with 268 yards of total offense and three TDs. Wells led South Johnston with 121 rushing yards and two rushing TDs.

No EW player eclipsed 100 yards in rushing or passing. Matthew Askew led the Warriors with 83 rushing yards.

Oates said that approximately 85 percent of his team had never experienced the playoffs before. Although it wasn't the desired result, Oates said those players now know what to expect. And they can carry that with them into next season.

"That (loss) should be a sour taste in the mouth," Oates said. "But an experience for them to carry on into next year. I challenged my junior class -- which is about 15 to 18 kids -- it starts in the winter. It's going to be starting in that weight room, hitting the track and also practice."

POSTSEASON WOES

* After reaching the state semifinal in 2013 and 2014, EW has now suffered double-digit losses in the first round of the playoffs for two straight seasons. Both of those defeats were distributed by South Johnston.

STRUGGLING OFFENSE

* The Warriors managed just 178 yards of offense against the Trojans, and turned the ball over four times. EW finished the season averaging a meager 16.3 points per game.

RETURNING EXPERIENCE

* The good news for the Warriors is that 2016 was a rebuilding year. The team loses nine seniors, and are poised to make a run next season.