VALDOSTA –– No. 1 Valdosta’s offense continued to purr as the Wildcats blew out the Beaufort Eagles 44-7 Friday night.

Tarrell Roberts and Javonte Sherman each caught a pair of touchdown passes, teaming up for eight grabs for 234 yards in the victory. Valdosta tallied 516 total yards –– 446 yards of total offense as it went over the 40-point plateau for the fourth time in five games.

“The game went pretty smooth,” Roberts said of the win. “We went into the game with courage and confidence that we were going to win and we just executed and did what we had to do.”

Perhaps Roberts was due.

Many of the senior receiver’s longest scoring plays have been called back because of penalties this season, but against the Eagles’ defense, the track and field standout showcased his speed as he caught three passes for 105 yards and scored touchdowns of 56 and 38 yards in the first quarter.

“(My speed) gives me a big edge,” Roberts said. “I feel I’m the fastest in Georgia so if I get the ball in space, I’m gone.”

The ‘Cats started the second half quickly, driving down the field effectively before senior quarterback Tate Rodemaker found Jaheim Bell in the back of the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown pass to put Valdosta ahead 37-0 with 8:29 left in the third quarter.

Valdosta led Beaufort 30-0 at the half.

The ‘Cats stopped the Eagles short on a fourth-and-1 to take over late in the second quarter. After a holding penalty against them backed them up to their own 29-yard line, the ‘Cats found magic between Rodemaker and Sherman in the passing game.

Rodemaker hit Sherman on a 1-yard gain, then again on an explosive 70-yard hookup to put the ‘Cats ahead 28-0 with 25.5 seconds left in the first half.

On the ensuing Beaufort possession, the Valdosta defense recorded a safety with 17 seconds remaining  in the second quarter for the halftime lead.

After forcing the Eagles to turn the ball over on downs with under 4 minutes to go in the half, Rodemaker completed a pass to Willie Trapp for 12 yards then connected with Trapp again for 19 yards on a highlight reel grab over the middle for a first down.

Two plays later, Rodemaker hit Sherman for a 34-yard touchdown with 3:58 left in the first half.

Despite the halftime score, the ‘Cats struggled at times offensively –– Rodemaker threw a pair of interceptions and the offense got all the way into the red zone to start the second quarter, only to turn it over on downs as Rodemaker overthrew a receiver in the end zone.

“I thought the game was slower,” Valdosta head coach Alan Rodemaker said. “They were running the clock every time down to 10 or 15 seconds before they snapped and everybody was used to the high-flying game last week. I thought our kids played well, I thought they handled this week well and I thought they handled this victory well.

“Beaufort came in here and played hard and did a good job. Man, I think the quarterback and running back played well. They’ve got a wide out that can really play. I thought they had a good plan to shorten the game. You’ve got to be able to play in different tempos and the tempo tonight was slow, so I think that may have affected us a little bit. It took us a while to get going.”

Rodemaker churned out another devastatingly efficient performance, despite being a bit off on a few balls he threw in the first half –– finishing 17-of-25 for 378 yards and five touchdowns along with his two interceptions.

Bell caught four passes for 76 yards with one touchdown. Trapp caught three balls for 37 yards and Santavious Gatlin had one catch for 22 yards in the win.

After running for a season-high 138 yards last week against Colquitt, the ‘Cats managed just 68 yards on the ground against the Eagles. Despite the low number of rushing yards, the ‘Cats got a much-needed weapon back in the backfield as Kaleb Robinson played for the first time all season –– carrying the ball five times for 14 yards. Shavious Wright had four carries for a team-best 33 yards while TJ Dailey chipped in with two carries for 24 yards.

For the Eagles, sophomore quarterback Tyler Haley went 18-for 27 for 236 yards and a touchdown as time expired in regulation. 

Beaufort recorded 305 yards of total offense in the game. Wide receiver Matthew Haley impressed for the Eagles, notching 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown.

UP NEXT

Valdosta faces rival Lowndes in the Winnersville Classic next Friday, Sept. 27 at Martin Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.