VALDOSTA — Friday night, the Valdosta Wildcats looked like the Wildcats of old.
Valdosta dominated Collins Hill, winning 31-0 at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
The Wildcats recorded their first shutout since 2005, their first shutout of the Rick Tomberlin era, and their largest margin of victory since a 37-0 rout of Shiloh in their 2005 opener.
“This is the best we’ve played since I’ve been here,” Tomberlin said. “Everybody played well. It was real fun to see our kids play like this. I was real pleased.
“I don’t think (Collins Hill) was a bad team. Not at all. I think they can be competitive with a lot of teams.”
Marcus McNair rushed for 92 yards for the Wildcats, David Arnold added 66 more, and quarterback Michael Turner had 89 total yards in the victory. Valdosta had 297 yards of total offense.
“We had to run some and throw some, but we took what they gave us, and moved the ball,” Tomberlin said.
But the real star of the game was the Valdosta defense. The Wildcats held the Eagles to minus-11 yards rushing and minus-34 yards in the second half. This is the second straight week the Wildcats have allowed negative rushing yards.
“That is real big. Our defense played spectacular tonight,” Tomberlin said. “Allowing negative yards rushing and having no turnovers are two real big things for us.”
After a scoreless first quarter, the Wildcats got on the board less than three minutes into the second quarter, driving 81 yards in 14 plays. Turner led the march downfield, completing 4-of-5 passes for 47 yards and rushing for another 18 yards. A McNair dive went for 11 yards, down to the 2, then on the next play, McNair dove in for the touchdown. Lawrence Clagett’s extra point gave the Wildcats a 7-0 lead.
After the Wildcat defense forced a three-and-out, Valdosta drove down the field again. A 29-yard run by Arnold and a 20-yard gain by McNair moved the ball into Eagles territory. The Wildcats drove to the 17, then Clagett kicked a 34-yard field goal to give Valdosta a 10-0 lead.
Collins Hill drove into scoring position late in the half, thanks in large part to a 37-yard reception by Rashad Head. But cornerback Sidney Bivins put an abrupt halt to the drive, picking off Brent McDonald’s pass at the VHS 14 with 29 seconds left in the half.
On the second half kickoff, Valdosta’s Perry King caught the ball at the 10, got a couple of blocks, shed a tackler at the 30, and then took off down the field. King raced 90 yards for a touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 17-0 lead.
Valdosta’s defense drove Collins Hill backwards on the ensuing possession, and a short punt gave the Wildcats the ball at the Eagle 40. On the next play, McNair took the handoff on a trap, found a hole, and dashed 22 yards. Three more runs moved the ball to the 7, and on first-and-goal, the Wildcats went back to the trap. McNair took the handoff, got blocks from right guard Chris Daniels and right tackle Justin McGill, and plowed across the goal line for the score, giving Valdosta a 24-0 lead.
“Marcus ran real well tonight,” Tomberlin said. “He does all the things we ask of him.”
Early in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats all but put the game away with another score. King’s 31-yard punt return gave Valdosta the ball at the Eagle 22. Valdosta brought in its second team, and gave the ball to fullback Desmond Smith on four straight plays. On the fourth play, from the Collins Hill 3, Smith ran off left tackle, and took the ball in for the Wildcats’ fourth touchdown of the night, making it 31-0.
Twelve different players carried the ball for Valdosta, with McNair and Arnold leading the way. Turner completed 9-of-12 passes for 68 yards and ran for another 21 yards. King was the Wildcats’ leading receiver, catching two passes for 26 yards.
Collins Hill quarterback Brent McDonald completed 7-of-13 passes for 62 yards, and was also the team’s leading rusher, gaining 10 yards on three carries. The Eagles managed just two first downs.
Valdosta travels to Brookwood next week.
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Wildcats hammer Eagles, 31-0
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