VALDOSTA — Friday night’s Valdosta-Coffee game was supposed to be a close battle. Instead, the Wildcats took the Trojans to the woodshed.
Valdosta hammered Coffee 35-7 Friday night at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. The Wildcats dominated on both sides of the ball, and walked off the field a 28-point winner, in what was arguably their best performance of the year.
With the victory, Valdosta (7-2, 5-1 region) clinches second place in Region 1-AAAAA. The Wildcats will host their playoff opener in three weeks. Coffee (7-2, 4-2) will finish third.
Marcus McNair ran for 106 yards and a touchdown, and Valdosta got touchdowns from both the special teams and the defense in the victory.
The game started off with a bang for the Trojans. Johnny Williams caught the opening kickoff at the 14, got blockers in front of him, and raced 86 yards for a touchdown. Ethan Nettles’ extra point gave Coffee a 7-0 lead.
The rest of the game, however, belonged to Valdosta.
The Wildcats responded to Coffee’s quick touchdown with a 10-play, 73-yard scoring drive to tie the score. Facing fourth-and-4 from the Coffee 9, quarterback Michael Turner kept on the option, cut inside, and found an opening. At the 2, he was met by a defender, but powered across the goal line for the touchdown. William Clagett’s extra point tied the score, 7-7.
Valdosta scored again on its next possession. David Arnold’s 32-yard run on the first play moved the ball into Coffee territory. Four plays later, the Wildcats went for it on fourth-and-inches from the 15. The Trojans jammed the middle, expecting Valdosta to go inside. Instead, Arnold got the handoff and went outside. He raced 15 yards untouched into the end zone for the touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 14-7 lead. Valdosta wound not trail again.
Just over two minutes into the second quarter, Valdosta’s Charles Alford broke through and blocked Jared Carver’s punt at the 5. The ball bounced into the end zone, and Valdosta’s Curtis Weatherspoon fell on it for the touchdown. That gave the Wildcats a 21-7 lead at halftime.
Five minutes into the third quarter, Valdosta’s Tavoris Belcher returned a punt to the Coffee 27, and that set up the Wildcats’ fourth touchdown of the day. McNair got the ball on four of the drive’s five plays, including a blitz-beating 12-yard run on third down to prolong the drive. Two plays later, McNair got the ball on a dive, and went seven yards for the touchdown, making it 28-7.
With the three-touchdown lead, Valdosta coach Rick Tomberlin kept the ball on the ground in the second half. The Wildcats only threw the ball once all half.
Coffee staged its best drive early in the fourth quarter, moving the ball from its own 35 down to the Wildcat 5. But safety Patrick Moore ended the drive, and any remote chance of a late Trojans comeback, with an interception at the goal line.
Valdosta tacked on a touchdown in the final minute. Coffee quarterback Burke Batten dropped back to pass, and was drilled in the backfield by two Wildcat defenders. Batten coughed up the ball, and defensive tackle Jeffrey Knight scooped it up at the 5. Knight jogged into the end zone for the easy touchdown with 44 seconds left, making the final score 35-7.
Turner completed 6-of-7 passes for 58 yards in the victory.
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Valdosta Wildcats hammer Trojans
Valdosta pounds Coffee Friday night, 35-7
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