Get your own Free Home PageAfter winning on Parkland’s homecoming the previous week, Smith spoiled yet another homecoming celebration by whipping Western Guilford 25-6 last Friday night WHS Stadium.
Last year the Golden Eagles felt the sting of the Hornets as they defeated them in the last regular season game, thus subduing their playoff hopes, but on this night BLS swooped down and claimed a long-awaited revenge. Smith was led by Dasharn Russell, who finished with 164 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown, and J.J. Thompson who finished with 112 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown. However, the game was highlighted by the solid performance turned in by the offensive line and their play apparently underscores a steady progression made throughout the season.
“I came into get down and do my thing, but I’ve got to give credit to my offensive line who always blocks lovely, they just get better and better every week,” said Russell. “I can’t give enough credit to Brent Wilson, Sean Mapp and Ron Crawford. Everybody on the line just blocked lovely.” Perhaps the word lovely is an understatement considering that 330 of Smith’s 349 yards of total offense came as a result of the rush. During the first drive BLS looked intent on shoving the pigskin down Western’s throat as Thompson pounded his way up the middle for 38 yards of a 71-yard drive which ended in a 6-yard touchdown run by quarterback Duane Taylor.
According to Taylor, the reason why BLS turned to the running game in such profusion was because of its accessibility.
“The running game was wide open,” Taylor said. “They were keying on the pass, but all the running plays were wide open, we had big holes to run through, and the line was blocking perfectly. Every game they’re getting better.”
Defensively all forts were held as Western was held scoreless for the entire first half. The BLS defense felt confident that it could just overpower the offense of the Hornets and throw a shutout and with the exception of a third-quarter touchdown that came off a 10-yard touchdown reception caught by Raymond Sinclair, Smith maintained a defensive stronghold. Following the touchdown, the defense still imposed itself on the Western offense when Antonio Williams blocked Kyle Rayger’s PAT attempt.
Senior linebacker, P. J. Southerland addressed the difference between the defense that stopped Western on Friday night and the defense that tried to contain the Hornets’ swarm last season.
“The thing about the defense this year is that we kept the intensity up the whole game,” replied Southerland. “Last year in the fourth quarter the no-huddle (offense) was getting to us, and we were getting tired, but the conditioning we’ve been doing this year has really been keeping the enthusiasm up.”
The Golden Eagles entered the second half with a seemingly comfortable 12-0 lead, but the 67-yard Hornet drive to start the third quarter made it 12-6, and it appeared that the a missed field goal and the failed attempt at a two-point conversion would return to haunt Smith. However, the defense rose to put down Western’s surge as if it were some sort of rebellion.
“We thought that we could have shut them out, but they came into the third quarter hyped and everything so they scored on that first drive,” said senior linebacker Shamaree Brown. “We just had to get back into the game, get back into the flow and get back into the rhythm so we could play.”
With a score of 18-6, BLS was still in need of that final knockout punch and it came when Russell scored on 15-yard rush with 3:07 remaining in the fourth period. Senior placekicker Brian Woodard nailed the extra point making the score 25-6.
Payback was the team’s main objective going into the game and by beating Western on its homecoming night the redemption was sweetened two times over.
“All that I have to say is another homecoming game played and another one ruined,” said Taylor.
“It was their homecoming and we decided to make it our homecoming. We have three this year,” remarked Thompson.
© 1999 bls@oocities.com
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