CLEMMONS — South Rowan stared yet another defeat square in the eye Friday night. Only
this time, the Raiders refused to blink.The Raiders literally rescued themselves from the gallow’s pole,
rallying from a two touchdown-deficit to gain an essential 35-17 Central Piedmont
Conference victory at West Forsyth.
“It’s a game we had to
have,” said coach Rick Vanhoy. “Now at least we’ve got a shot. That’s
all anybody can ask for.”
He’s talking about the
playoffs, and rather suddenly, South finds itself in range to earn its first postseason
berth since 1994. The Raiders (2-7, 1-1 CPC) snapped a four-game losing streak and moved
into a tie for second place in the league standings.
“Hopefully, this game will
really make a difference,” said right guard Patrick Gaddy. “We don’t care
if it’s taken us nine games to get going. This is just what we needed.”
South, which outscored the Titans
for the first time in 12 seasons, played a remarkable second half. Its defense limited
West Forsyth (4-5-1, 1-2 CPC) to 34 yards total offense and two first downs. And its
offense, piloted by 6-2 junior quarterback Tim Cook, produced four touchdowns —
including three within a 4:07 span of the fourth quarter.
“Our defense played a great
game and our offense capitalized on it,” Cook said after passing for 99 yards and
rushing for another 46. “We came back out very focused and ready to take over. To
tell the truth, we were just tired of losing.”
It looked like the Raiders were
headed south for the winter in the early going. West scored on each of its first two
possessions, both TD passes from lefty Josh McGee to wideout Roberto Williamson, and
placed South at an important crossroad.
“Our kids could have very
easily rolled over and said, ‘We’re 1-7, we’re supposed to get our butts
kicked like this,’” said Vanhoy. “But they rose up and decided that
wasn’t gonna happen.”
Ironically, the game may have
turned on a play that generated no points. Trailing 17-7 with 1 second remaining in the
first half, South’s Tore’ Girty returned a kickoff 68 yards down the right
sideline before being knocked out of bounds on the West Forsyth 13-yard line.
“It sparked something in
us,” said Girty, who rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns. “I didn’t
make it to the end zone, but from then on we knew we could get the job done.”
With an autumn moon lighting their
way, the Raiders went to work quickly in the second half. First came a three-and-out
defensive stand, followed by a nine-play, 75-yard TD drive capped by Cook’s 7-yard
scoring pass to tight end Daniel Pinyan.
South grabbed a 21-17 lead on the
first play of the fourth quarter when Girty caught a screen pass in the right flat and
scampered 22 yards for a touchdown.
“I’m not sure what
happened,” said losing coach Russell Stone. “But I do know we couldn’t stop
South Rowan in the second half. They outplayed us, outcoached us, out-everythinged us. It
was very disappointing.”
It continued three minutes later
when tailback Keith Garrett scored his team-best seventh touchdown on a 2-yard burst up
the middle, giving South a 28-17 edge.
Sadly, misfortune paid the Raiders
a visit shortly after teammate Brad Lanning intercepted a pass and returned it to the West
Forsyth 42. With 8:05 to play, Garrett ripped off a 31-yard run — pushing him over
the 100-yard mark — but remained motionless on the ground. He complained of a burning
sensation on the back of his neck and was transported by ambulance to Forsyth Memorial
Hospital.
“The good news,” Vanhoy
reported afterward, “is that he was alert and could use all of his extremities. Right
now we’re excited about the win. We’ll be more excited when we find out that
Keith’s OK.”
South clinched its victory when
Girty scored on the ensuing snap and defensive back Ricky Childers picked off a pass with
4:35 left.
When the final horn sounded, the
Raiders passed around compliments like a tray of hors d’oeuvres. “That’s
the way it should be,” said Cook. “Everybody worked hard. The offensive line
knocked people around and the defense was solid. You could almost see it coming.”
Perhaps defensive coordinator Tim
Corriher had the most insightful response. “The kids had fun tonight,” he said.
“Instead of worrying about falling apart and losing, they played to win.”
n
NOTES: South can assure itself a
playoff berth by winning its last two games — home matches with R.J. Reynolds on
Friday and Mount Tabor on Nov. 5. ... South had 424 yards total offense, including 325 on
the ground. Girty and Garrett gave the Raiders two 100-yard rushers for the first time
this season. ... West Forsyth’s Antony Butler surpassed 1,300 yards rushing with an
abbreviated performance. He picked up 56 yards on 11 first-half carries before reinjuring
his right hand. |
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