News - Sports - Preps

Friday, Oct. 10, 2008

Northwestern 51, Nation Ford 0

FORT MILL — Jarrett Neely scored four first-half touchdowns to help Northwestern to a 51-0, Region 3-AAAA win at Nation Ford.

Neely scored on runs of 1 and 6 yards. He caught a 6-yard pass from quarterback Justin Worley and returned a punt 50 yards for another. He amassed 217 all-purpose yards in a little more than two quarters of play.

Neely ran for 47 yards on eight carries. He caught four balls for a game-high 70 yards and totaled 90 yards on two punt returns.

He hesitated on the punt return as the ball rolled to a stop at his feet, then surprised Nation Ford when he picked it up with two Falcons running full steam at him.

He took off down the right sideline and scored. Shawn Ferguson’s PAT put an exclamation mark on a 35-0 first half.

“That No. 6 (Neely) is a special player,” Northwestern coach Jimmy Wallace said.

Northwestern, ranked fourth in the latest Class AAAA Prep Writers Poll, moved to 6-1 overall and 1-0 in the region. Nation Ford fell to 2-5, 0-1. The Trojans didn’t miss a step after last week’s 28-7 setback against South Pointe. Labris Adams took the opening kickoff 75 yards to the Falcons’ 10. Northwestern’s first drive ended two plays later with Neely’s first TD run.

Nation Ford fumbled on its third play. The turnover was the first of three on the night. The Falcons went on to fumble five more times in the game. Northwestern’s Richard Crank recovered the fumble to set the table for the Trojans’ offense. Worley found Cordarelle Patterson for a 20-yard scoring pass, and Northwestern led 14-0 just 87 seconds into the game.

The Trojans have been a team that can score in bunches over the past two years with the “Air Raid” offense. But Friday night, they got it done in all phases of the game.

“ODK” became the buzz word in Trojans’ practices this week. Wallace wanted his team to improve on offense, defense and kicking. Offensively, Northwestern was efficient and a bit more balanced with 197 yards in the air and 80 on the ground. Worley was 16-of-27 for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

Stewart Hunt played the final quarter-plus and was 2-for-3 through the air. He connected with Marquez Robinson on a 20-yard touchdown for the Trojans’ final tally of the night.

Defensively, the Trojans recorded four sacks. Hakeem Adams had two, while Gerald Dixon Jr. and Dewanney Mills added the others. Nation Ford was stuffed for a mere 57 total yards of offense and four first downs.

Ferguson converted on six of seven PATs and kicked a 31-yard field goal. Worley punted twice, pinning the Falcons at their 1- and 15-yard lines. “I’m proud of this team. They worked hard all week. There was no finger-pointing after the loss,” Wallace said. “We got our (second team) in the game in the third quarter. We let a ton of kids play.”

The return teams blocked extremely well, allowing Neely to break his punt return and freeing Adams on his kickoff return.

“As bad as our offense and defense was tonight, our special teams was atrocious,” Nation Ford coach Rusty Jester said.

Jester told his players as they huddled around him after the game to hold it together.

“I know you played hard tonight and you practiced hard this week,” Jester told his team.

NORTHWESTERN 51, NATION FORD 0

Northwestern.....14.....21.....3.....13.....—.....51

Nation Ford.....0.....0.....0.....0.....—.....0

SCORING SUMMARY

NHS — Jarrett Neely 1 run (Shawn Ferguson kick)

NHS — Cordarelle Patterson 20 pass from Justin Worley (Ferguson kick)

NHS — Neely 6 run (Ferguson kick)

NHS — Neely 4 pass from Worley (Ferguson kick)

NHS — Neely 50 punt return (Ferguson kick)

NHS — Ferguson 31 field goal

NHS — Mario Wilson 4 pass from Worley (kick failed)

NHS — Marquez Robinson 20 pass from Stewart Hunt (Ferguson kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

.....NHS.....NFHS

First downs.....14.....4

Rushes-yards.....18-82.....28-51

Comp-Att-Int .....18-30-1.....3-9-0

Passing yards.....197.....6

Fumbles-lost.....1-0.....6-3

Penalties-yards.....6-35.....2-15

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING —  Northwestern: Neely 8-47, McCleod 1-3, Worley 4-11, Mario Wilson 5-21. Nation Ford: Lance Jacobs 4-2, Jackson Gibson 3-(-1), Tony Hall 9-41, Joey White 6-3. J.J. McCullough 1-1, Tom Condrom 2-3, Justen Lane 2-1, Mitchell Starnes 1-1

PASSING — Northwestern: Worley 16-27-1-172, Stewart Hunt 2-3-0-25. Nation Ford: White 2-8-0-0, Tom Condrom 1-1-0-6

RECEIVING — Northwestern: Patterson 3-36, Neely 4-70, Labris Adams 3-21, Julian Patton 4-34, Devin Ray 1-6, Wilson 2-10, Robinson 1-20. Nation Ford: Dee Truesdale 1-4, Will Ford 1-6, Jacobs 1-(-4)

RECORDS — Northwestern 6-1, 1-0 Region 3-AAAA; Nation Ford 2-5, 0-1