Trojans use trick plays and simple running to top rival
SHALLOTTE, Sep 22, 2012 (Menafn - Star-News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Gary Darling was standing on the sidelines with a sore ankle and foggy helmet visor when his West Brunswick coaches decided to give the halfback pass another try.
North Brunswick had just pulled within two points in the second quarter of their Waccamaw Conference football game Friday night. West faced third-and-15, and Darling returned to the field. Markel Jones delivered a perfect pass, hitting Darling in stride behind the Scorpions secondary for a 71-yard touchdown, and from there the Trojans rolled to a 49-26 victory.
The play worked, in part, because West (2-4, 2-0) had pounded the middle of the field with Jones and Khalil Gause, who combined for 178 rushing yards. When Jones took the pitch, the North Brunswick defensive backs moved toward the line of scrimmage, giving Darling single coverage on the outside.
"We've worked it all the time and we had dropped it or overthrown it, so we knew when the time came we were going to let Gary do it," West Brunswick coach Jimmy Fletcher said on the outskirts of a jubilant locker room. "Gary's probably the best at running and catching that we've got. That was a huge play."
Darling added another touchdown, from his position in the West Brunswick secondary, four plays and two minutes later. He snagged North quarterback Jacob Shumate's pass at midfield and, behind a wall of blockers, scored again to push the halftime lead to 28-12.
"I said before the game I was going to do what I was supposed to, do all my assignments and just give it my all," said Darling, who scored a rushing touchdown in the second half when West maintained at least a 10-point cushion.
"When they called me I was out there, and I was ready."
After losing its first four games, West has now won two in a row against county rivals. While the defense struggled at times to contain and tackle Scorpions backs Graham Rivenbark and Shak Graham, the offensive line dominated. West also used a quick tempo on offense to wear down the Scorpions (4-2, 1-1), who had many linemen go both ways.
The Trojans scored five offensive touchdowns and amassed 336 yards against a North Brunswick defense that had surrendered only 11.6 points per game and shut out Whiteville last week.
"We've gotten better and better as the weeks have gone on," Fletcher said. "I think we got a little bit of confidence after we battled with Laney (35-23 loss). It's all about confidence for teenagers. I think it's going to propel us into something big."
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