10/13/2023
BY JACK BULLOCK
JOHNSTON CITY - There were multiple times during Friday night's
game at Johnston City where the Sesser-Valier/Waltonville Red
Devils could have 'thrown in the towel'.
The
host Indians offense had the ball for most of the first two
quarters and scored on a pair of long touchdown drives that
ate up most of the first half clock.
The
Red Devils' offense was stymied when they did get the ball and
they went into halftime down 16-0.
But
some big defensive plays in the second half (and one in overtime)
along with some big plays on offense by senior running back
Dezmond Malone sparked the comeback.
Malone
scored three touchdowns and rushed for 181-yards on 15-attempts,
including a 57-yard run that got SVW on the scoreboard in the
third quarter.
When
the SVW defense stopped Johnston City on a two-point conversion
in overtime, the Red Devils stayed undefeated at 8-0 with a
30-28 triumph.
Sesser-Valier/Waltonville
is now a win away from its first Black Diamond Conference football
title and unbeaten regular season since 2009.
“I'm
at a loss for words for they have done and overcame,”
said Coach Shadowens. “Our defense battled all night.
Johnston City is a great team. They're hard to stop. But they
don't have the big play capability that we do. They have to
'bleed it' down the field.”
Johnston
City, who had won the BDC championship the last two seasons
and were victorious in 32-consecutive conference contests, lost
for the first time this fall despite statistically winning most
of the battles.
Coach
Todd Thomas and his “ground and pound” rushing attack
racked up 333-yards on the ground by seven different runners,
including a 96-yard drive that took 21-plays and 12:05 off of
the game clock from the end of the first quarter until :35.8
left before halftime.
Quarterback
Keaton Fort scored one of the first half touchdowns for Johnston
City from seven-yards out after running back Ben Morgan opened
the scoring with a 23-yard TD jaunt.
Both
of the PAT's on the ground were successful on keepers by Fort
as the Indians controlled the first half with possession of
the ball for 18:45 of the 24-minutes.
Coach
Mike Rude (defense) and John Shadowens (offense) share the head
coaching duties at SVW and both oversaw the second half rally.
After
a third quarter score by Fort on another run (13-yard run, PAT
run failed) the Red Devils changed the tide on both sides of
the line of scrimmage.
SVW
stopped JC on its next two drives.
Facing
a fourth-and-four from the Red Devils' 44, Johnston City elected
to go for it and Morgan was stopped on just a one-yard gain,
turning the ball over to SVW at the 43 with :01.4 left in the
third quarter.
The
first play by the Red Devils resulted in a 57-yard TD run by
Malone, who took a hand-off from quarterback Colt Packer and
sprinted down the left sideline for his second touchdown of
the contest.
Packer
took the ball into the endzone on the two-point conversion to
cut the SVW deficit to 22-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
“Dez
popped one there early in the third quarter and that was a big
play,” said Coach Shadowens, who was the head coach in
2009 when the Red Devils last won the BDC.
Johnston
City, as they had done in the first quarter, responded with
another time-consuming drive, knocking another 5:35 off of the
clock.
However
the Red Devils got a break when Indians' running back Evan Sanders
fumbled and SVW recovered on their own 23 with 6:25 left in
regulation.
In
probably the most important drive of the season for the visitors,
SVW overcame an injury to Packer, a pair of penalties and two
third downs to produce a game-tying score.
Packer
left the game, after a nine-yard carry that didn't count because
of a penalty, and was replaced by junior reserve Jaxon Borta.
The
lefty connected on a 13-yard pass play to senior Wyatt Loucks
and he also pitched the ball to Malone who launched a half-back
option pass to senior Pacey Dudley, which got the ball to the
Johnston City 18. |
