Woodruff RB Jaylen Lyles Turns in Career Night in Rout of Union County
By Garrett Mitchell
Woodruff football got their groove back.
The Wolverines, coming off their only loss against Emerald, broke out in the running game and bludgeoned Union County, 52-6, on Friday at Varner Stadium.
Woodruff scored five times on the ground, led by a career night from senior running back Jaylen Lyles, and pulled away following a 90-minute weather delay in the second quarter.
“We talked on Sunday that (getting the running game going) was something we had to do,” said Woodruff head coach Brett Sloan. “We still have to clean some stuff up on both sides of the ball, but calling plays is a lot easier when you can run the football. Now the goal is to be consistent with it. It has to be part of who we are.”
Wolverines Strike Early
The Wolverines scored three times in the first quarter, starting with a nice touchdown throw from Connor Davis to Tee Glenn.
Lyles followed that up with his first score of the night, rolling over a Union County defender and staying upright before sprinting 52 yards to paydirt.
Davis connected with Curtis Bell for a 22-yard strike to end the period and give Woodruff a 22-0 lead before the rain and lightning came.
The Yellow Jackets posted their only score of the night when the game resumed, a fourth-down throw from Jaylen Kershaw to Sondrell Worthy, but the Wolverines would quickly snuff out any hope Union County had of a comeback.
Lyles punctuated the following two drives with touchdowns two and three as Woodruff took a 36-6 halftime lead.
“There isn’t too much to say,” said a humble Lyles. “I wouldn’t be nothing without my offensive line. I think this was their best game.”
Career Night for Jaylen Lyles
Lyles’ final score came late in the third quarter on an 18-yard jolt up the middle.
He finished the night with 16 carries for a career-high 248 yards.
“I had nothing going the last two games,” Lyles added. “I had 24 rushing yards (against Emerald). I think this game will help a lot going to next week.”
The Wolverine defense recorded a safety midway through the fourth quarter, sacking Kershaw in the end zone, before punctuating the night with a five-yard touchdown run from backup quarterback Tate Rogers.
It was a cool moment for Rogers, a senior who has not played football since he was in sixth grade.
“It was a surreal moment. I don’t really know how to explain it,” Rogers said. “It was great. I haven’t played football since sixth grade, so it was pretty cool to be out there.”
Woodruff Offense Piles Up Production
Davis finished the night completing 15 of 23 passes for 169 yards. He now has 11 passing touchdowns on the season.
Bell finished with five receptions for 69 yards.
Mason Satterfield had a nice night, too, reeling in three passes for 36 yards as the senior begins seeing more playing time.
Diego Tranquilino stayed perfect in the kicking game as well, connecting on all five of his PAT attempts.
Tailback Kam Fincher led Union County with 15 carries for 101 yards.
Kershaw completed 12 of his 27 pass attempts for 118 yards and was picked off once by Wolverines linebacker Kelan Hunter.
Up Next: Chapman
Up next for Woodruff is resurgent Chapman, which is 4-0 following a one-win season a year ago.
The Panthers have been dominant, and Coach Sloan knows it will be a major test for the Wolverines.
“It’s going to be a test,” stated Sloan. “This is why we play a tough schedule. I fully believe we can go win the game, but (Chapman) is a really solid football team and are 4-0 for a reason. Coach (Harry Cabaniss) has that thing rolling again. It should be an interesting week and an interesting game on Friday night.”
