HAHIRA – Homecoming did not go as planned as the Pinewood Patriots (3-1) defeated the Valwood Valiants (1-3) 42-18 on Friday night.  

The Valiants didn’t expect for the game to start so fast as they found themselves in an early 22-point hole. The Patriots opened the game with the mindset of running the football into the ground.  

Patriots quarterback Mic Wasson drove the offense down the field with the hard running of the backfield picking up yards fast. Wasson handed the ball to his running back Parker Dean to go in for the 7-yard touchdown.  

Wasson then kept the ball for himself as he converted the two-point conversion – making the score 8-0 with 9:53 left in the first.  

The Valiants offense looked good throughout the night, driving the ball up and down the field. The offense got inside the 30 on most of their offensive possessions without turning them into touchdowns.  

The Patriots wouldn’t waste many opportunities as Wasson found his tight end Kaedan Arnold for a 27-yard touchdown. The Patriots converted their second two-point conversion of the game to go ahead 16-0.  

Valiants quarterback Dru Womack orchestrated an impressive drive as the Valiants found themselves back into the red zone. The drive would stall on fourth down, however, as the Patriots made a defensive stand.  

Coming out on the next drive, the Patriots offense went quickly as they would only need one play to go 78 yards. Wasson connected with Arnold once again for a 78-yard touchdown to push the lead to 22-0 at the end of the first quarter.  

The Valiants’ defense, led by defensive back Chris Manwell, put up a fight to keep the Patriots off the board the next time they touched the field – ending a run of 22 straight points by the Patriots.  

On the next Valwood drive, the Valiants made a strong case on the ground as Noah Pettigrew got his legs churning. Pettigrew burst through the Patriots’ defensive line, carrying a host of Patriots with him for a 47-yard pick up.  

One play later, Womack found a small hole to punch it in the end zone for the Valiants to cut the lead to 22-6 with 7:03 left in the second quarter.  

The Patriots responded with great plays from Wasson as the Patriots found themselves in familiar territory.

This time, the Valiants had an answer for the Patriots.  

Wasson dropped back and fired, but did not find his receiver. Instead, the pass landed in the hands of Manwell for the Valwood interception.

The Valiants opened the second half with several players touching the ball as Womack looked almost unstoppable getting the ball to his teammates. The Patriots put out the Valiants’ fiery start as they stopped them on the 2-yard line.  

From there, Wasson took off 98 yards to the house for his third total touchdown of the night to make the score 28-6 with 6:54 left.  

Womack and his offense had the perfect answer for the Patriots’ stingy defense. Womack found Tajh Sanders over the middle for an incredible one-handed grab. On the next play, Womack dropped back and dropped the ball perfectly into the arms of Hayes Perry for a 27-yard touchdown – cutting the lead to 28-12 with just 3:42 left in the third.  

The Valiants couldn’t slow down the Patriots on the next drive as Wasson found receiver Walker Todd for a 70-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 34-12 with 2:41 left in the third.  

Valiants head coach Justin Henderson feels his team didn’t make the proper adjustments as the team lost for the third time in four games.

“We didn’t adjust well and we will get that fixed it’s just that simple,” Henderson said. “We just simplify our coverage game and take some things out, and I’m proud of my boys how they played against a good team.”

UP NEXT 

The Valiants will be on the road next week as they face the North Florida Christian Eagles in Tallahassee.