Ware County’s Lojuan Blue delivers a blow to Coffee’s Cam Carswell just after the receiver catches the ball. Blue’s hit, which was flagged for contact with a defenseless player, separated the ball from Carswell during third quarter action.
For the second straight game, Ware County broke open a close game at halftime with a big third quarter to claim a victory, this time 24-14 against rival Coffee High Friday night in Memorial Stadium.
The eighth-ranked Class 4A Gators (2-0), trailed 7-3 at intermission, but scored 21 points in the third quarter to pull away in the nonregion game against the eighth-ranked Class 5A Trojans (1-1). Ware County led Appling County just 127 in its opener before a 29point third quarter fueled Ware’s 55-7 romp of the Pirates.
“The biggest thing defensively was we went to more of a four-man front and offensively, we found some formations that would allow Ja’Mario (Rice) and Ja’Londi (O’Hara) into some open space on the outside,” WCHS head coach Jason Strickland said of the second half changes. “They both worked pretty well.”
Ware County had a touchdown running, passing and from its defense as well as a field goal and three conversion kicks from Jeffrey Gonzalez.
Tayshaun Franklin ran 14 times for 80 yards and a touchdown while Jamir Boyd added 55 yards on 10 carries. Isaiah White completed eight-of-16 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown to Rice, who caught six passes for 94 yards.
Linebacker Terron Birden had the defensive score on a 67-yard fumble return. The senior also had an interception on a pass Coffee quarterback Trey Ross lost the handle on with Birden closing in for a sack.
“Two huge plays,” Strickland said of Birden.
It was the second game in which the Gators had returned a fumble for a touchdown.
“Coach (Dante) Sapp and his guys work on those turnover drills every day in practice,” Strickland said. “I know it seem monotonous for the kids, but it pays off on Friday night.”
Ross completed 14-of-21 passes for 225 yards and both Coffee touchdowns. Running back Bobby Reynolds caught one for 30 yards and Quan Jefferson had the other covering 29. The Gators broke the scoreless game on the 30yard Gonzales field goal after recovering a fumble by DeBruce when he was stripped of the ball going down at the end of a 15yard run. Ware County took over at its 39 and went 48 yards in nine plays to lead 3-0 with 1:21 left in the first quarter.
Photos By ANDREA HEFLIN
The key plays of the drive came on successive downs when White hit O’Hara with an 11-yard pass on a third-and-eight play at the 41 followed by Rice pulling in a 24-yard pass between two defenders for a first down at the Coffee 16.
The Gators had a chance for a touchdown on thirdand- goal from the 13, but Gunter Fore couldn’t hold on to White’s pass on the sideline just outside the end zone bringing on Gonzales.
The Trojans responded on the ensuing drive, a 78yard, 11-play possession capped by a 36-yard pass from Ross to Reynolds with 8:38 left in the half. Chris Hernandez added the conversion kick for a 7-3 lead.
Ross scrambled for 10 yards on a third-and-10 play from the 37 to keep the drive alive. On the touchdown, the senior broke contain and found Reynolds alone in the flat. The sophomore ran the final 20 yards untouched to the end zone.
Neither team threatened with their final possessions of the half.
The Gators forced the visitors into a three-andout off the second half kickoff, and turned the stop into the lead to start the key third quarter. After seeing the Trojans load the box with seven or eight players, Ware County went to a quick passing game to the outside to loosen the defense on its first drive of the half.
The result was a fourplay, 65-yard possession that lasted just one minute, 48 seconds and resulted in a 10-7 lead with 8:45 left in the quarter. White hit Rice for 13 yards on first down before Franklin ran for nine and Boyd for four.
On first down from the 38, White hit Rice curling in from the left flat. The senior receiver spun back to the outside and raced home for the touchdown. Gonzales added the extra point and the Gators led for good at 10-7.
“We have two dynamic receivers out there,” Strickland said. “We wanted to get them outside and see what they (Trojans) could do with them.”
Ware County’s defense added what proved to be the game-winning touchdown a little over four minutes later on Birden’s recovery of another De-Bruce fumble. The Trojans had moved to the Gators’ 30, but DeBruce lost the ball in the line after the handoff on the third-down play. Birden picked up the ball on the run and sprinted 67 yards for the score.
“Game-changer,” Strickland said of Birden’s play.
Gonzalez converted the kick with 4:27 left in the period for a 17-7 cushion.
A 15-yard punt by the Trojans on the ensuing possession led to Ware County’s final score of the quarter. On the first play from the Coffee 40, Franklin broke three tackles after reaching the second level and sprinted down the far sideline into the end zone with O’Hara maintaining a block on the last defender for the final 15 yards of the run.
Another Gonzalez conversion made it 24-7 with 2:02 left in the period.
Coffee scored on its first drive of the final quarter, a 95-yard, six-play march capped by Jefferson’s 29yard pass from Ross and the conversion by Hernandez with 9:43 left. It was the lone pass of a drive that included three runs by Reynolds totaling 49 yards.
The Gators then sealed the issue with a drive of 6:31 that moved from their 26 to the Coffee 17 before stalling when White’s pass to MooMoo McKoy came up a yard short on fourth-and four.
Ware County’s Jamir Boyd (2) gets a block out on the edge of the Coffee defensive front to gain part of his 55 yards on 10 carries in the Gators’ 24-14 victory. Photo By ANDREA HEFLIN
