Eastern Wayne suffers the might of Conley

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on September 23, 2017 9:23 PM

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Disciplined.

Such was the work of D.H. Conley quarterback Holton Ahlers on Friday, who completed 15 of 28 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns in a dominant-in-all-phases, 55-19 conquest of  ECC 3-A league foe Eastern Wayne High.

The triumph moved the Vikings to 5-1 on the season.

Working quickly and in sync from the outset, Ahlers got the parade started with a crisp 12-yard touchdown scamper at the 7:57 mark of the opening quarter.

Three minutes later, following a touchdown pass by EW's Ezekiel Best, the East Carolina commit struck again, finding speedster DJ Johnson over the middle for a score -- one that both solidified Conley's rapid-fire rhythm and foreshadowed the affair's remainder.

In a breakout second stanza, Ahlers twice dictated clockwork-style scoring drives with pace and precision. In total, the signal-caller finished the opening half with 104 yards of total offense and four touchdowns.

Matters didn't improve much for EW in the third quarter, as Conley increased its 28-7 halftime advantage with four additional scores, highlighted by a broken-play, 68-yard touchdown heave from Ahlers to slot receiver Andrew Pittman -- a play that typified the evening for both sides.

"A team like that, you can't let them get any  momentum," EW head coach Leander Oates said post-game. "When they build, having a good quarterback that can lead and direct... we have to make sure we step up."

But against Ahlers and a relentless pace that never seemed to lose its energy, the chore proved tough.

Conley pressured Eastern Wayne quarterback Ezekiel Best from start to finish, consistently flushing the senior off his spot and into scramble-mode. Best, enjoying a fine senior campaign to date, finished the night by completing just 12 of 28 passes for 223 yards and a pair of scores -- not enough to counter the throttle-down Conley offense.

The setback moved Eastern Wayne to 3-2 on the season ahead of next week's homecoming matchup with New Bern.

Conley, now 1-0 in ECC play, solidified its position as the league's premier outfit and with the victory, issued a very clear proclamation -- if you are desirous of this year's league title, you'll have to take it from them.