Southern Wayne’s Gabriel Carmack (15) and Tyler Speight (8) take down West Johnston running back Tylon Washington (3) in front of teammate Tez White (4) during first-half action Thursday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Nyzaiah Randall, left, breaks up a pass intended for West Johnston’s Tyven Johnson. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
West Johnston’s Tyven Johnson (10) looks for open space as Southern Wayne’s Dorien Toussaint (2) tries to chase him down. The Wildcats’ Eddie Stewart (4) blocks the Saints’ Gabriel Carmack on the play. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Nagha Miles (53) and Tez White (4) get some backside help from their teammates while they tackle West Johnston quarterback Dane Trum. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Gabriel Carmack (15) makes the initial hit on West Johnston quarterback Dane Trum during their Quad County 3A game Thursday evening. Teammates Davion Nickleson (56) and Ty Williams (3) helped finish off the tackle. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne senior quarterback Tez White (4) finds running room against West Johnston during first-period play Thursday evening. White scored the Saints’ lone touchdown in a 41-6 loss to the Wildcats. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Tyrick Hall (55), E’lla Boykin (20) and Gabriel Carmack, back right, stop West Johnston’s Aiden Rowsey for a short gain. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
DUDLEY — Handle the details. That’s a message Southern Wayne head football coach Matt Hine has stressed to his team all season during practice and under the Friday night lights.
The Saints are sure to hear it again during next Monday’s practice.
Miscues on offense and special teams haunted the Saints during their 41-6 loss to West Johnston in Quad County 3A action Thursday evening. The Wildcats converted two of four forced turnovers into touchdowns.
“I was proud of them for a long time in the game,” Hine said. “The self-imploding at the end of the game is certainly not what I want to see. Hats off to them. They [West Johnston] played solid for 48 minutes. I’m proud of about 36 minutes of football [from my team] tonight.”
Southern Wayne scored on its first possession.
Quarterback Tez White turned a fourth-down play into a 35-yard, first-quarter touchdown run with 7:19 on the clock. The senior has scored at least one touchdown in all five games this season.
White churned out 65 yards on 15 carries, while backfield mate Ty Williams provided 34 yards on 18 totes. West Johnston recorded two quarterback sacks and allowed just 86 yards of total offense on the night.
Sophomore running back Jaylen Bowden remained sidelined with a groin injury he suffered two weeks ago at Rosewood.
“We didn’t do a very good job of sustaining blocks,” Hine said. “We’ve got to do a better job of making sure that we’re following our lead blockers that will do the little things on the backside of run plays…make sure guys are following our power [scheme].”
West Johnston rang up 41 consecutive points after White’s TD.
Senior Kavon Manning returned a punt 50-plus yards to the end zone to start the Wildcat scoring. Quarterback Dane True rambled in from the Saints’ 4-yard line with 55.4 seconds left before halftime.
Interceptions set up the Wildcats’ next two scores — an 8-yard run and a 30-yard pick six by Aiden Rowsey. Sean Ali recovered a blocked punt in the end zone and Trum tallied his second TD with less than two minutes left in regulation.
“Our defense hung tough for a long time,” Hine said. “You have to look at it from our perspective that a lot of self-inflicted wounds got us [tonight]. I’m very sad with the body language I got [from players] in the last five, six minutes of the game. That’s not what I’m trying to preach here.
“It’s a lot of little things.”
Southern Wayne (2-3 overall, 0-2 QCC) returns to action Sept. 29 at Hunt.
