Wildcats claw Blue Devils, 42-7

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October 20, 2012

Wildcats claw Blue Devils, 42-7

Christian Malone CNHI The Tifton Gazette Sat Oct 20, 2012, 01:41 AM EDT

TIFTON — The Valdosta Wildcats dominated the first half, and handed the Tift County football team its fifth straight loss, 42-7, on Friday night at Gene Brodie Field.

Valdosta scored touchdowns on four of its first five possessions, and built a 35-7 halftime lead, on their way to a 35-point victory. Valdosta quarterback Shelby Wilkes completed 10 of 14 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Valdosta running backs Nelson Herring and Malcolm Joseph combined for 102 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, and the Wildcats compiled 385 yards of total offense.

“I thought that we played pretty well,” Valdosta head coach Rance Gillespie said. “I thought we executed some things extremely well. I’m really proud of our kids, the way they responded. We just played good.”

The win improved Valdosta’s record to 4-3, and 1-2 in Region 1-6A. Tift fell to 2-6, and 0-4 in region play.

Valdosta put two touchdowns on the scoreboard in the first four minutes of the game, and never looked back.

After forcing Tift to go three and out on the game’s opening possession, Valdosta got the ball at its own 40-yard line. Three Joseph runs moved the Wildcats to the Tift 42. Then Wilkes faked a handoff and went deep. Alex Cason was in one-on-one coverage, and he caught the ball at the 15. Then the defender missed the tackle, and Cason ran 15 yards into the end zone for the touchdown. Brennan Goodson’s extra point gave the Wildcats a 7-0 lead.

On the next play from scrimmage, after Tift’s Gerald Pledger returned the kickoff to the TCHS 17, Tift quarterback Michael Hancock tried to throw a slant, but Valdosta middle linebacker Anthony Smith was standing right where Hancock threw the ball. Smith picked off the pass and took off running. He fumbled the football at the 13, but teammate Chuntony Johnson picked the ball up and ran into the end zone for the touchdown, doubling the Wildcats’ lead to 14-0.

Late in the first quarter, Tift drove into Valdosta territory, but Rashad Daniels fumbled, and Valdosta recovered. Five plays later, on third-and-11 from the Tift 40, wide receiver Sherrod Inman caught a pass, faked out a defender and raced down to the 9, giving Valdosta first-and-goal. Two plays later, on second-and-goal from the 3, Joseph took the handoff, went up the middle, ran over a defender at the 1 and went into the end zone to give the Wildcats a 21-0 lead.

On the ensuing drive, Tift lined up to punt on fourth down from its 30-yard line, but faked the punt. Ryan Wedgeworth, the upback, had a receiver wide open over the middle at the 45, but the receiver dropped the pass.

Valdosta took over at Tift’s 30, and drove for another touchdown. On third-and-8 from the 28, Herring broke free and sprinted 27 yards, down to the Tift 1. Two plays later, Herring went around right end and crossed the goal line, increasing Valdosta’s lead to 28-0.

Tift drove to the Valdosta 46 on its next possession, before being forced to punt. But then Tift caught a break. Valdosta fumbled the punt, and Tift recovered at the VHS 14. Kris Miller’s 13-yard pass to Beau Bergeron moved the ball to the 1, and on the next play, Miller kept on a quarterback sneak, and crossed the goal line for the touchdown. Frankie Mejia’s extra point cut Valdosta’s lead to 28-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, Tift recovered a Valdosta fumble. But Tift couldn’t capitalize, and turned the ball over on downs four plays later.

Valdosta added one more score in the final seconds of the first half. With the ball at the VHS 33, Wilkes took the snap, and was flushed out of the pocket while looking for a receiver. Then he spotted Cason down the field. Cason hauled in Wilkes’ pass on the run and sped away from the defender that was covering him. Cason raced down the Tift County sideline towards the end zone. A defender caught him near the goal line, but Cason stretched the football over the goal line before hitting the ground, giving the Wildcats seven more points. Cason’s second touchdown catch of the night, this one a 67-yarder, gave Valdosta a 35-7 lead with four seconds left in the first half, and the Wildcats headed to the locker room with a 28-point lead.

Valdosta got the ball back to start the second half. On the third play of the drive, Wilkes threw a swing pass to Herring. Herring caught the ball in space, got a block in front of him, broke into the open field and raced 58 yards for a touchdown. That increased the Wildcats’ lead to 42-7.

After that, Valdosta began bringing in some of its reserves.

Because Valdosta was leading by 35 points, the fourth quarter was played with a running clock.

Herring finished the game with 54 yards and a touchdown on six carries, and two catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Joseph gained 48 yards on seven carries, and also scored a touchdown. Cason caught two passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

Valdosta’s defense held Daniels to 35 yards rushing in the first half, but Tift’s senior tailback was more effective in the second half, gaining 76 yards on nine plays. Daniels finished the game with 111 yards rushing on 23 carries, and caught two passes for 54 yards.

Miller, who did not play in the first quarter, completed 3 of 16 passes for 45 yards for Tift.

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