Conway
BY DOUG RUTTER
Stops West Trojans In Football Season Opener
west Hrunswick got the best of
Conway for three quarters Friday
night, but the Trojans let the pigskin
slip through their hands and with it
went the victory in their high school
football season opener.
For the second straight year, Con
way's Tigers made the Trojans pay
for fourth-quarter turnovers. The re
sult was a 25-21 Conway win at
Rourk Stadium in Shallotte.
"We got tired and our kicking
game changed the momentum." Tro
jan Coach Jim Brett said after the
disappointing loss. "The punt was
the turning point in the game."
West Brunswick led 21-12 early in
the fourth quarter before Conway re
turned a fumbled punt snap for a
touchdown and turned another turn
over into the game-winning score
less than five minutes later.
"We were beat by our kicking
game tonight," Brett said. "I'll take
credit for that. Maybe we didn't
spend enough time on it."
Playing in muggy conditions.
Brett also said the Trojans ran out of
gas in the fourth quarter. "Playing a
school three times as big as us we're
supposed to give out," he said.
The second-year West Brunswick
coach pointed out that the Tigers
dressed about twice as many players
as the Trojans. West also went with
seven two-way starters, while
Conway used just one.
Brett said he wasn't worried about
losing the first game, something the
Trojans did last year en route to an
11-3 season and the North Carolina
2A Championship.
"I would rather play somebody
like we did tonight and learn some
thing than play somebody whose not
very good and not work hard." he
said. "We're going to have to work
hard later on when we get into the
conference schedule."
The 4A Tigers took the lead mid
way through the first quarter after
partially-blocking a West Brunswick
punt and taking over possession at
their own 48-yard line.
On the first play from scrimmage,
freshman running back Vinson Blain
shot through a gap in the offensive
line and outran the Trojan defense
down the right sideline for a 52-yard
touchdown.
Jeremy Reed's extra point attempt
was wide left and the "Tigers held a
6-0 lead with 5:34 remaining in the
opening quarter.
West responded with an 81 -yard
scoring drive on its next possession.
The Trojans ran eight straight plays
before junior quarterback Eric John
son rolled right and lofted a 55-yard
touchdown pass to a wide-open Ty
Brown.
Derek Frink tacked on the extra
point to give West a 7-6 lead with 55
STAFF PHOTOS BY DOUG RUTTtR
TROJAN HALFBACK JAMES MORGAN (46) led West IirunsH'ick with 49 yards rushing Friday night against Conway. Morgan also had
an interception on defense.
scconds left in the first period.
The Trojans bumped their lead to
14-7 just before halftime. West took
over possession at its own 46-yard
line with 2:11 left in the second
quarter and drove 56 yards in seven
plays.
Brett's bunch benefited from a
pass interference call against Con
way, and senior halfback William
Stanley scored an 11 -yard sweep
with 3') seconds in the half. Frink's
kick gave the Trojans an 8-point
edge at intermission.
Conway came out fired up in the
second half, taking the opening kick
off and driving 64 yards in nine
plays for a touchdown.
Quarterback Michael Allen, who
completed just one pass for 17 yards
in the game, rushed for 48 yards in
the drive and scored on a 1-yard
sneak. Allen finished with 51 yards
rushing.
Allen tried to pass for a two-point
conversion, but Trojan cornerback
James Morgan intercepted the throw
and Conway trailed 14-12.
West Brunswick increased its lead
to 21-12 late in the third quarter.
Fullback Michael Lance dove in
from the 2-yard line to cap an im
prcssive, five-play, 56-yard drive.
Frink added the extra point.
Leading by nine points, West
Brunswick's wheels came off in the
fourth quarter.
On fourth-and-4 at the Trojan 35,
West's punter, Frink, fumbled the
snap and watched as Conway's
Jimmy Riggins scooped up the loose
ball and ran 20 yards for a touch
down.
Conway's Reed kicked the extra
point to trim West Brunswick's lead
to 21-19 with 10:28 left in the game.
West Brunswick fumbled again on
its next possession, and Conway's
Charlie Parker recovered at the
Trojan 34-yard line.
The Tigers scored three plays later
as fullback Corey Livingston sprint
ed 1 1 yards up the middle with 5:44
on the clock. Leading 25-21,
Conway tried for two points, but
Blain was stopped short of the goal
line.
With West Brunswick needing a
touchdown. Michael Johnson re
turned the ensuing kickoff 25 yards
to the Trojan 45-yard line.
With eight straight running plays,
the Trojans moved the ball to the
Tiger 26-yard line. However, Eric
? a. ui ' ?
-V; ig&
WEST BRUNSWICK DEFENDERS Michael l.ance (32) and Greg Cause (31) run down Tiger tail
back Antonio Hasty (38).
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Johnson's desperation pass on
fourth-and-9 was intercepted by
Conway's Leshay Grant.
"The most pleasing thing I saw all
night was our team took the ball with
about five minutes left on the clock
and moved down the field," Brett
said. "Our guys were tired but they
dug down deep for that last drive."
Other than the kicking game, Brett
said the Trojans need to work on
blocking in the middle of the offen
sive line.
The veteran head coach said the
Trojans missed the running of senior
halfback Steve Holmes, who played
just one down Friday night due to an
injury. Holmes rushed for more than
1.500 yards and scored 26 touch
downs last year.
"He's one of the best backs in the
east," Brett said. "With his speed
there were a couple of things we
could have done that we weren't able
to do tonight."
Overall, Brett said he thought the
Trojans played better Friday nighl
than they did in last year's season
opening, 19-14, loss at Conway.
Brett said liri; Johnson, a three
sport standout at West, played "very
good" in his first start at quarterback
"He's a good athlete and 1 like the
way he plays the game."
Johnson completed just 2 -of-*)
passes, but several other passes were
dropped. The junior also came up
with a second-quarter interception
from his defensive safety spot.
THE YARDSTICK
West Brans. Conway
13 First Downs 7
50-159 Rushing 25-166
2-9-4 7 Passing 2-11-17
3- 2 Fumbles-l-ost 1-0
1 Ints. I*hrown 2
3-21 Punts(No-Avg) 3-35
5-55 Penalties- Yards 13-1 13
Score By Quarters
West Brunswick 7 7 7 0 ? 21
Conway 6 0 6 13 ? 25
Scoring Summary
(C) Blain, 52-yard run (kick fail
ed)
(WB) Brown, 55-yard pass from
Johnson (Frink kick)
(WB) Stanley, 11-yard run (Frink
kick)
(C) Allen, I -yard run (pass failed)
(WB) Lance, 2-yard run (Frink
kick)
(C) Riggins, 20-vard fumble re
turn (Reed kick)
(C) Livingston, 11 -yard run (run
failed)
Individual Rushing
West Brunswick: Morgan, 15-49;
Lance 10-34; Stanley. 11-29; War
ren, 5-22; Brown, 4-21; Holmes, 1-4;
Johnson, 4-0.
Conway; Blain, 8-61; Allen, 9-51;
Livingston, 4-44; Nelson, 1-8; Hasty,
3-2.
Individual Passing
West Brunswick; Johnson, 2-9-47.
Conway: Allen, 1-6-17; Nelson,
1-5-0.
Individual Receiving
West Brunswick: Brown, 1-55;
Morgan, 1 -minus 8.
Conway: Wise, 1-17; White, 1-0.
j TROJAN QUARTERBACK ERIC JOHNSON (3) gets ready to hand off to one of his running hacks
' Friday night against visiting Conway.
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