Woodruff Defense Holds the Line, Offense Cashes in Timely Plays in Top Five Match-up
By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer | garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com
The Woodruff football team could really get used to this.
For the second straight season, the Wolverines opened the season by dispatching their arch-rivals, the Clinton Red Devils, in a hard-fought battle between two of the state’s best teams. Last Friday, the Woodruff defense held the line early, the offense made timely plays, and the 3A #4-ranked Wolverines showed why they are a force to be reckoned with in a 21-13 win over the defending 2A state champions.
Early on, it was Clinton primed to do major damage. The Red Devils began their first two drives inside the Woodruff 30-yard line, only to be turned away twice within sight of the goal line by a stifling Woodruff front seven led by Shaun ‘War Daddy’ Graybill at linebacker, massive defensive lineman Gunner Atkinson, and defensive end Jordan Hood.
It was enough to give the Wolverines’ offense, led by Connor Davis in his first varsity start at quarterback and behind a new offensive line, to get up to speed.“I talked to the team and I told them all we have to do (tonight) is go 1-0,” explained Hood. “We all had to do our jobs and finish. Defense wins games, so we just traded off energy back and forth and ended up with the win.”
Woodruff would break through on their fourth drive thanks to a Red Devil miscue. Clinton’s Owen Glenn muffed the snap on a punt, allowing Woodruff to take over at the Red Devils’ 25-yard line. It took just three plays from there to find the endzone. After Davis connected with Liberty-bound tight end Kam Taylor for a 16-yard gain to the nine-yard line, Davis did things himself on second and goal from the 10 with a perfectly executed zone read that freed him around the left end for a powerful touchdown run.
Meanwhile, the defense continued to wreak havoc. Clinton, who would not record a first down until the final five minutes of the first half, continued spinning in place as their run-heavy attack found precious little running room.
“We’ve been playing this game for so long, man, we are just out here grinding,” Atkinson said. “My job is to blow the center up, and I feel like if I just do that, our linebackers like Shaun Graybill, Buster (Jalen Roberson), or Jordan Hood will come in and make the tackle.”
It would take Woodruff just two more drives to strike again. With the ball at the Red Devils’ 42, Davis connected with all-world running back Aiden Gibson, who was lined up at slot receiver on the play, for a long touchdown pass. A two-point conversion run by Jackson McCarley upped the Wolverines’ lead to 15-0 late in the second quarter.
Clinton, though, would not end the half quietly. After their first sustained drive, the Red Devils found the endzone on a five-yard pass from Glenn to Javen Cook as time expired. The conversion failed, and both teams headed to the locker room with Woodruff leading 15-6.
“We feel really good about our box,” said Woodruff head coach Brett Sloan. “We’ve got some really good players. I feel like it’s the best box we’ve had since I’ve been here, and I think they showed that tonight. They played really physical and I’m really proud of them.”
A series of penalties in the third quarter negated several big Clinton gains as the Red Devils finally found a bit of success on the ground, primarily with junior Zy Butler carrying the ball. That period seemed as if it would end in a draw. But a methodical Wolverine drive, highlighted by another long pass to Gibson, set Woodruff up inside the Clinton five-yard line, and with 27 seconds to play in the period, junior tailback Jaylen Lyles punched in a tough four-yard touchdown run to give the Wolverines a 21-6 lead going to the final period.
“I knew we had (linemen) Grayson (Patterson) and Paul (Davis) in front of me, and I knew they would clear the way for me,” said Lyles. “This was my first time playing against Clinton on varsity, but it felt good beating them.”
Clinton, as is usually the case, was far from done. Putting together their most decisive drive of the night, led by Butler and Angelo Cromer, the Red Devils drove to the Woodruff 11 before Butler found paydirt on a powerful run. The point after kick made it a one-score game, with the Wolverines holding a 21-13 lead with 7:05 left in the game.
That extra point kick would be the final time a Clinton player touched the ball.
Behind Gibson and Davis, Woodruff slowly salted away the clock with a 13-play drive culminated by Davis bulldozing a Red Devil defender on a powerful fourth and five run that gave the Wolverines a final first down at the Clinton 11-yard line. Out of timeouts, the Red Devils could only watch as Woodruff went to victory formation.
For Davis, his first varsity start was a memorable one, and he gave ample credit to the defense that was able to get him and the offense back to work consistently.
“It means the world to get this win,” he said. “We prepared for months. We have three Division One recruits on offense, and our defense might be better. That’s what I’ve got to say about that. Our defense, it’s really, really good. They are better than the offense right now.”
Connor finished the night completing nine of 16 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. Gibson racked up 183 total yards, 84 on the ground on 20 carries and 99 yards receiving on four catches. Lyles, Taylor, and Kori Moates also factored into the effort with clutch plays on both offense and defense.
Butler led Clinton with 102 rushing yards on 10 carries, and Cromer added 90 yards on the ground, but the difference was the Wolverines holding Cook, who rushed for 1,800 yards last season, to just 34 yards on 10 touches.
“We played as a team,” added Sloan. “Our offense is still trying to find its way a little bit, but we’ve got really explosive players. For Connor, every time he is in a situation is the first time he’s been in that situation. He’s having to learn through reps, too. We were able to lean on our defense, and that was fantastic. I’m so proud of those guys. We found a way to win.”
Woodruff moves on to play Fountain Inn this week in their second straight home game to open the season. The Fury were 48-14 victors over Liberty, and the budding rivalry between the two schools located just 20 minutes apart should provide another solid test for the Wolverines.
Author: gmitchell85
