Woodruff Buries Landrum Under Offensive Deluge in Region Opener as Connor Davis Sets New Record
By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer
garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com
Woodruff football unleashed a barrage of offense against Landrum, opening the floodgates through the air and punishing the Cardinals 49-0 in the region opener for the Wolverines.
Woodruff (4-2, 1-0) opened a 28-0 lead after one quarter, upped the margin to 42-0 at halftime, and invoked the running clock mercy rule in a second half that took just 25 total minutes to play.
While it was quarterback Connor Davis and his plethora of talented receivers who ultimately stole the show, the Wolverines got the homecoming party started on the ground.
Senior running back Jaylen Lyles scored the game’s first two touchdowns on the ground, the first from 19 yards out while weaving through traffic, and Woodruff was up 14-0 before the Cardinals ever possessed the ball thanks to a successful onside kick sandwiched between the two scores.
Davis then took to the air, finding a streaking Mason Satterfield for a 37-yard scoring strike, then hooking up with junior Curtis Bell on a short screen that the blazing wideout took down the sideline for 77 yards after shirking three different would-be tacklers.
Satterfield’s touchdown was the first of his career. The senior did not play last year and has earned more extensive playing time as the season has progressed. It was a great moment, but for Mason, it was a testament to all of his teammates as well.
“It felt great (to score a touchdown), but it’s not about me,” explained Satterfield. “My line can block, my quarterback got me the ball, and our other receivers did their jobs and ran their routes, which opened up a lane for me. It’s not my touchdown, but our touchdown.”
Davis and company went back to work in the second quarter, with the senior signal caller finding Lyles out of the backfield for a 74-yard score before converting on fourth and two, finding imposing tight end MiCah McClintock on a roll-out before the 6-foot-4-inch senior rumbled 87 yards to the endzone.
Davis finished the night with five touchdown passes to five different receivers, with three of those going for 74 yards or longer.
“We had a good game plan going in,” Davis said. “We have a really great group of receivers. Mason had to fight to get on the field, and he is an above average 2A receiver. We have monsters on the field, and there’s not much anybody can do about it, really.”
Woodruff head coach Brett Sloan was glad to see the passing game reignite, too, after scuffling just a bit the previous two games.
“The biggest thing I was really pleased with tonight was the execution,” said Sloan. “Overall, it was our most complete game of the year. We ran the ball well, threw the ball well, had explosive plays, pitched a shutout, and forced two more turnovers. Lots of good things went on tonight. It was a great bounce-back game. We played to our standard tonight.”
Woodruff notched their final score on the first possession of the third quarter when Davis dropped in a dime to Tee Glenn from 19 yards away to set the final margin.
Landrum (3-3, 0-1), meanwhile, rarely threatened on offense. The Cardinals’ best scoring chance came on fourth and one from the Wolverines’ one-yard line, but linebacker Mekhi Norman exploded through the gap and dropped the running back for a big loss to snuff out the threat. Landrum finished the night with just 173 total yards of offense, and it was the first shout for Woodruff since 2022.
“It was the cleanest game we have played,” continued Sloan. “Very few penalties and very few negative plays. Pass protection was better. We feel like some of the adjustments we made helped tonight. There will still be things we need to fix, but it was a good night for us to get back on track.”
Davis set a new school record on the night with his 12 completions in 14 attempts. It sets the new benchmark for the highest competition percentage in a game, which was previously held by Carson Tucker. Connor’s 12 completions also went for 415 yards, marking just the fifth time in school history a Wolverine quarterback has surpassed the 400-yard mark through the air.
“We know our potential, and we know how good Emerald and Chapman are, but this game was really good for our confidence,” added Davis. “I don’t care how talented a team is, if you lose two of your first five games, they might be like, man, I don’t know. So, this was really good for our confidence going into the game with Southside Christian.”
Lyles added 61 rushing yards on just eight carries and finished with 135 all-purpose yards. Bell had just two catches, but those went for a combined 93 yards.
Woodruff now turns their attention to talented Southside Christian, with the Sabres coming into Varner Stadium on Friday in a game that carries massive region championship implications. This is a Wolverine team that is beginning to believe in themselves, as noted by Satterfield, who says it comes down to faith.
“Well, every game I attack with the Lord,” he said. “It all starts with the Lord. He fills us with strength and fills us with power. We play for the Lord and the Lord blesses us for that. That’s all that matters.”
