Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011

Trojan rush too much for Pride

Garner will host Fayetteville Jack Britt next

They didn't draw it up in the dirt on the sidelines, but when they needed a play to get things rolling Friday night, Garner's offense went with a play spawned by the film study of first-year starting quarterback Vincent Jefferies.

It was a big step for Jefferies, whose emergence as an effective part of the Trojans' offense, is just one of the reasons why the Trojans are in the 4-AA eastern regional final after a 42-21 victory over Leesville Road Friday night before an estimated crowd of 5,500.

The play that got the Trojans rolling was a 34-yard touchdown pass that pushed Garner ahead 13-7 early in the first quarter and set the tone for yet another night where Juwan Moye's play was the highlight of the Trojan offense.

"I just told the coaches that teams weren't covering Juwan on the backside when we fake the jet sweep to him," Jefferies said. "We put it in this week and worked on it all week. The play developed just like we thought it would."

Once Garner (14-0) took the lead, taking advantage of a pair of Leesville Road (12-1) fumbles in the first quarter, the Trojans turned back every challenge for the lead the Pride made. Moye finished with three touchdowns and 285 yards from scrimmage.

His second touchdown came on a 7-yard pass across the middle. Tyler White's extra point put Garner up 21-7 with 1:18 to play in the first half.

Leesville had nearly tied the game just before that. Sophomore quarterback Braxton Berrios hit Malcolm Hitchcock on a 20-yard slant pass for a touchdown, but the play was erased by a penalty.

Garner opened the second half with a 72-yard drive that eneded with Moye rambling around the left side for a 34-yard touchdown run.

"I think they are as good as anybody we've played all year," Leesville Road coach Chad Smothers said.

Berrios, however, wouldn't let the Pride's season end without a fight. The sophomore covered all 28 yards himself on Leesville's ensuing drive, cutting the gap back to two touchdowns, 28-14, on a 4-yard run. The drive took just 95 seconds.

He finished with a game-high 245 yards rushing on 33 carries and threw for 157 yards.

Garner was able to stop the Pride's running attack at times, though, including on a Berrios run attempt on fourth down from the Pride 30-yard-line with 3:37 to play in the third. Andre Gillispie led the charge to pull the converted wide receiver's run.

The Trojans, using Moye and Demetrius Fairley, reeled off 11 first downs in the second half. Fairley had 85 yards on the night and two touchdowns.

"We have so many guys who can contribute, but it all goes back to that offensive line," Garner coach Nelson Smith said.

Jefferies was 8-of-12 for 83 yards. He ran for a touchdown as well.

Garner will host Fayetteville Jack Britt next week in the regional championship.