Two tacklers finally bring #28 Trea Jones to the turf during Wake Forest-Rolesville High School's 20-3 victory over Leesville Road High School on Friday, Nov. 6. (photo by Will Okun)
Nov 7, 2009
Leesville Road's Chris Hawthorne kicked a 44-yard field goal on the Pride's first drive of the game against Wake Forest-Rolesville on Friday, but the Cougar defense didn't allow another score all night.
"We like to think our defense can [win games] for us," Wake Forest-Rolesville coach Reggie Lucas said after the game.
The Cougars trailed Leesville Road 3-0 at the break, but the deficit didn't last long into the third quarter.
Darren Kirby fielded the opening kickoff of the second half in the end zone, but the junior returned it 76 yards to the Leesville Road 24 yard-line. Trea Jones got two touches on the ensuing drive - the first an 11 yard run, the second a ten yard touchdown.
Wake Forest-Rolesville grabbed a 7-3 lead and never looked back.
"The kickoff return was the back-breaker," Leesville Road coach David Green said. "You're up 3-0, you're kicking off, you hold them down on their end of the field and hopefully you're playing a short field the rest of the night."
"Instead they run it back down. Not only do they end up getting a touchdown out of it off a real short field, but then we end up playing the long field the rest of the night, and that's not what you want to be doing against a good defensive team."
The Cougars have received a lot of recognition for their tough defense. Pitching six shutouts in 11 games this season, Wake Forest-Rolesville is allowing fewer than four points per game. Green went as far to say they were a "state championship caliber team."
On Leesville Road's ensuing possession, the Cougar defense held the Pride to a three-and-out, forcing a punt from Hawthorne.
Wake Forest-Rolesville got the ball back and crossed mid-field, only to have to punt the ball themselves. However, when Thurston Cox attempted to fair catch the ball, he dropped it and Wake Forest-Rolesville's Brandon Reynolds recovered it on the Leesville 21-yard line.
Three plays later, one play after an 18 yard run by James Harris, quarterback Dan Tomchik called his own number and followed his linemen into the end zone.
Andrew Ammons' extra-point pushed the Cougars' lead to 14-3.
Wake Forest-Rolesville added insult to injury in the fourth quarter when they got the ball back on the Pride 31-yard line after Leesville Road failed to convert on a fourth down situation.
The Cougars used their ground attack, but after nine plays - including a fourth down conversion of their own - Harris broke into the end zone from one yard out with 54 seconds left. The extra-point was wide left, but the Cougars took the 20-3 victory.
Wake Forest-Rolesville wraps up the season with a perfect 11-0 record, and the team also captured it's fourth straight Cap 7 title. With the Terry Sanford double-overtime upset of Jack Britt Friday night, Wake Forest-Rolesville has also clinched the overall No. 1 seed in the 4-AA East region, giving them home field advantage through the playoffs until the state championship which will be held at Carter-Finley Stadium.
"This has been a great season for our program," said Lucas. "I'm very proud of these guys."
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