mUksm^ *lk .
STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG KUTTER
SENIOR LINEMAN PHILLIP JOHNSON became a running
back for one play Friday night. He gained 2S yards on the "fum
blerooski" to spark West Brunswick's game-winning drive.
What's A Fumblerooski?
BY DOUG RUTTER
What's a fumblerooski?
You can bet every West Brunswick football fan who watched their
Trojans in Chapel Kill Friday night knows what it is. The trick plav was
instrumental in West's l(>-14 win over High Point Andrews in the state
3A championship game.
The fumblerooski works like this:
The quarterback takes the snap from center and immediately drops
the ball behind the center. Pretending he still has the ball, the quarterback
rolls out and draws the defenders in his direction. Back at the line of
scrimmage, an offensive lineman picks up the football and starts run
ning.
West Brunswick Head Coach Jim Brett, who once used the fum
blerooski tii beat Burlington Cummings in the final seconds, pulled it out
of his bag of tricks at the perfect time Friday night against the Andrews
Red Raiders.
With the Trojans trailing 14-13 and facing a third-and-l I at their own
3 1 -yard line, Brett called a timeout to set up the play.
With almost everyone in Kenan Stadium watching West quarterback
Eric Johnson, offensive tackle Phillip Johnson picked up the pigskin and
carried it for 28 yards.
"We just had to run it at the right time. Phillip didn't have quite the
speed to take it all the way but he did a good job. It was a big play for
us," Brett said after the game.
High Point Andrews Head Coach Craig Gil! said the Red Raiders
were not expecting a fumblerooski when Brett called the timeout.
"I figured he was setting up a pass play," Gill said at the post-game
press conference. "It never crossed my mind. I take the blame for that."
Said Brett: "It was sitting on my mind the whole time. I thought it
was going to work. When I saw how they were aligned to it. I knew it
would work if we didn't mess it up."
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FANTASTIC FINISH I
Fourth- Quarter Magic
Lifts Trojans To State Title
BY DOUG RUTTER
You had to see it to believe it.
West Brunswick stumbled
through the first three quarters hut
rallied for three late touchdowns to
pull off an incredible I')- 14 win over
High Point Andrews in the state 3A
championship football game Friday
in Chapel Mill.
An estimated 1.5(H) West Bruns
wick fans sat in cold, rainy Kenan
Stadium for nearly two hours before
their team gave them reason to
cheer ? a comeback win they will
never forget.
"It was one of the greatest wins
I've ever been involved in." West
Head Coach Jim Brett said of the
game that will be talked about for
many years to come in Shallotte.
"There were a lot of big things
that happened to us tonight in the
fourth quarter." Brett said. "When
you're down 14-0 to a good football
team everything you do has to go
right. Fortunately for us it did."
Two long receptions by tight end
Timothy Daniels, a huge punt return
by Steve Holmes and a trick play
known as the "fumblerooski" were
the keys to West Brunswick's win.
It was the second consecutive
state championship for the Trojans,
who defeated Maiden 14-6 last year
to win the 2A title. West also ad
vanced to the 1991 state champi
onship game, but lost to Thomas
ville 21-6.
"It feels good," West senior
William Stanley said as his team
mates hugged and hollered at mid
field following the game. "By now
everybody should know where
Shallotte is."
The Red Raiders, state 3A
champs in 1991. held a 14-0 lead af
ter scoring a touchdown and tacking
on a two-point conversion with 3:38
left in the third quarter. That's when
things started going right for the
Trojans.
A 14-yard run by Holmes and
Eric Johnson's 24-yard pass to
Daniels were the big plays as West
Brunswick took the ensuing kickoff
and marched 72 yards in 10 plays.
Senior fullback Michael Lance
rumbled 5 yards up the middle for a
West Brunswick touchdown, and
Derek Frink's extra point cut the
Red Raiders' lead to 14-7 with
1 1:01 left in the game.
The drive pumped up the West
Brunswick crowd and the defense,
which forced a three-and-out on the
next Andrews possession to set up
one of the biggest plays of the game.
Holmes fielded the Raiders' punt
at the West Brunswick 36 and took
it up the middle before cutting down
the left sideline. He raced 61 yards
before he was pulled down at the
Andrews' 3-yard line.
Holmes said he planned to let the
punt roll dead, but it bounced up in
to his arms. "I was about to hand it
off to Michael Johnson and I just
saw the hole. I took off and turned It
into a good play."
Brett's post-game reaction to the
punt return: "It was a pretty sight to
me. I don't know if that was the key,
but it was one of the biggest plays of
the game."
Holmes' return set up Johnson's
1-yard quarterback sneak for a
touchdown. Suddenly, with 7:48 re
maining in the game, the Trojans
had cut the lead to one point.
West Brunswick lined up to kick
the game-tying extra point, but Brett
called for a fake. Johnson, who
holds on extra points, couldn't find a
receiver and was tackled 2 yards
short of the goal line.
After West Brunswick's defense
forced another Andrews punt, the
Trojan offense took over at its own
32-yard line with 5:54 left on the
clock.
West Brunswick faced a third
and-ll situation when Brett called a
timeout to set up the fumblerooski ?
a play where the quarterback fum
bles intentionally and a lineman
picks up the ball and runs.
The trick play worked to perfec
tion. As the Red Raiders flushed
Eric Johnson toward the sideline,
260-pound tackle Phillip Johnson
picked up the ball and lumbered 28
yards to the Andrews 41-yard line.
Moments later, the Trojans con
verted another third-and-long when
Eric Johnson passed over the middle
and Daniels made a spectacular
catch. The play covered 37 yards
and gave West a first down at the
Andrews 2-yard line.
"I don't even know how I caugh:
it," Daniels said. "I just jumped and
prayed. It hit my hands."
Two plays later. Lance went 1
yard for his second touchdown of
the night and the West Brunswick
fans went berserk.
Things didn't look so promising
for the West Brunswick faithful ear
ly in the contest. The Red Raiders
took a 6-0 lead on the sixth play of
the game.
Quarterback Larry Patterson roll
ed out of the pocket and fired a 77
yard touchdown pass to James Cot
ton, who got behind the Trojan sec
ondary and raced to the end /one.
Andrews bumped its lead to 14-0
lead with 3:38 left in the third quar
ter on a 12-yard run by Jeremy
Charles. The score capped an 11
play, 86-yard drive, and Patterson
(See TROJANS, Following Page )
NEIL "GOLDEN HOY" ClARKE was up to his usual antics Fri
day night in Chapel Hill, leading the cheers.
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ASSISTANT COACH MIKE ALDERSON gives instructions to the
defense.
WEST BRUNSWICK'S WILLIAM STANLEY (22) is in hot pur
suit of High Point Andrews quarterback Larry Patterson.
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