Gritty Trojans Never Lost Hope
BY l>Ol C KCTTEK
"Never I:.vct Ouit" was the battle cry Coach
Jimmy Valvano mailc I. mums years ago as leader of
the N.C. Stale University Wolfpack basketball team.
They were playing a dtlfercnt Inand ol hall Friday
night in Chapel Hill. Imt West Brunswick's Trojans
found out "Jimmy V" was right when he said good
things usually happen when you refuse to gi\e up.
High Point Andrews led 14-0 after three quarters,
hut West Brunswick scored three touchdowns in a
span of S minutes. 25 seconds, to win the state 3 A
high school loothall championship. 1*>- 1 4.
The Trojans faced an uphill battle against the Red
Raiders, but all ot the West Brunswick players insisted
follow ing the game that they never gave up hope
Senior Michael l ance, who scored two touch
downs and led West with eight tackles, said the
Trojans' positive attitude was one of the things that
separated them from other teams.
"That's what most teams do when they're down
14. They just go ahead and give up." Lance said.
"That's what happens when you don't give up. We just
did what we knew we were capable of doing and won
the ball game."
Junior quarterback I ric Johnson, who completed a
pair of fourth-quarter passes to Timothy Daniels to set
up two of West's three touchdowns, said the team re
fused to lose.
"When we scored that first touchdown I knew we
were going to come back because the offensive line
started blocking and there wasn't any way they were
going to stop us." Johnson said.
"We just didn't put our heads down." said Steve
Holmes, who had a 01-vard punt return to set up the
second West Brunswick score. "We kept our heads in
it and played like we usually play."
West Brunswick players always hold four lingers
over their head at the start of the fourth quarter. The
team has taken pride in its fourth-quarter play all sea
son.
William Stanley, one ot 12 West Brunswick senior
players, said the team knew it hail a chance even when
High Point scored its second touchdown late in the
third period.
"When you see those four fingers up in the air. you
can depend on a Trojan victory." he said. "We knew
what had to be done and we did it Now we're 3A
champs, baby."
West Brunswick's leading tackier this season,
sophomore linebacker Kwabena Green, has been a big
part of two state championships in his tirst two high
school seasons.
"We knew we could come back." Green said. "We
were playing our worst game of the year. We just
picked it up and overcame those guys."
"I never saw any sign on our football team whatso
ever of giving up." West Brunswick Head C'oach Jim
Brett said. "At haiftime everything was positive and
the kids felt they could win the ball game."
Brett said the Trojans just needed a spark in the
second half to get the team going in the right direction.
"We never quit. There was never that look on the
sideline," Brett added. "As a coach, you see that look
sometimes. You see the head go down. We never saw
it. Things just went our way."
Trojans Turned Game Around
(Continued From Preceding Page)
passed In Ringo McKiver for the
two-punt conversion.
"We let them get behind lis in the
secondary a few times." Brett said.
"A couple hig pass plays helped
them a lot. Other than that I thought
we played solid defense the whole
game."
High Point Andrews Coach Craig
Gill said West's hig plays in (he
fourth quarter killed the Raiders.
"You just can't give a team like
West Brunswick the ball that close
to the goal line."
Ciill also said he was too conserv -
ative w ith his offensive play-calling
in the final peiiod. when the Raiders
were held to seven yards on three
offensive possessions.
"I take a lot of blame because 1
got real conservative," Ciill said.
"We were up 14 points in the fourth
quarter. We needed to make some
thing happen on offense and we
didn't."
"They've got a good football
team." Gill continued. "I take noth
ing away. They did what they had to
do. We played hard, but we just
came up a little bit short."
Brett, 23-6 in two years at West
Brunswick and 10-0 in the playoffs,
received an ice-water shower as
time expired. The state title is his
third in 20 years as a high school
head football coach.
"I've never been involved in a
game that turned around to that ex
tent that fast." Brett said. "We ran
everything tonight that I know in the
fourth quarter and it worked well for
us."
West's Holmes, who rushed 16
times for 76 yards, and Andrews'
Patterson, who completed 7 of 14
pass attempts for 175 yards, were
selected as the game's outstanding
offensive players.
Outstanding defensive players
were West Brunswick linebacker
Kwabena Green and High Point
tackle Brian Rosehoro.
THE YARDSTICK
West Brunswick H.P. Andrews
13 First Downs 15
43- 1 <>4 Rushing 38-81)
5-10-84 Passing 7-14- 1 75
2-0 Fumbles-Lost 0-0
1 Ints. Thrown 0
2-31 . 5 Punts(No-Avg) 3-33
3-2 5 Penalties- Yards 3-25
Score By Quarters
West Brunswick 0 0 0 ? ll)
H.P. Andrews ft 0 X 0 ? 14
Scoring Summary
(A) Cotton. 77-yard pass from
Patterson (kick failed)
(A) Charles, 12-yard run
(Patterson pass to McKiver)
(WB) Lance, 5-yard run (Frink
kick)
(WB) E. Johnson, 1-vard run (run
failed)
(WB) Lance, 1-yard run (run
failed)
Individual Rushing
H.P. Andrews: Whitworth. 18-43;
Charles, 6-28; Smith, 5-17; T. Peak,
2-16; J. Peak. 2-11; Williams. 1-1;
Graham. I -minus 4; Patterson. 3-mi
nus 23.
West Brunswick: Holmes. 16-76;
Lance, 17-45: P. Johnson. 1-28;
Stanley. 3-17; Brown. 1-0; E.
Johnson. 5-minus 2.
Individual Passing
H.P. Andrews: Patterson. 7-14
175.
West Brunswick: Johnson. 5-10
84.
Individual Receiving
H.P. Andrews: Cotton. 3-91;
Graham. 3-71; J. Peak. 1-13.
West Brunswick: Daniels. 3-68;
Inman. 1-13; Stanley. 1-3.
Championship
Season Recap
OPPONENT SCORE W-L
Conway. S.C 25-21 L
Purnell Swett 15-6 L
Hoggard 41-6 W
Georgetown. S.C.... 41-l.X W
South Columbus 45-0 W
Pender 42-7 W
Whiteville 28-25 W
East Columbus 41-12 W
West Columbus 7-6 L
Lumberton (E) 34-8 W
South Brunswick 29-20 W
Northeast Guilf 48-16 W
Eastern Randolph... 43-12 W
Reidsville 21-3 W
Tarboro 21-13 W
H. Pt. Andrews 19-14 W
* Final Record: 12-3
TERR I BRU IT (second from left), wife of West Brunswick Head Coach Jim Brett , had a lot to cheer
about when the game was over. At left is Brett's daughter, Betsy, who had plenty to worry about until
the final seconds.
/ ROJAN LINEMAN JONATHAN FAUI.K (55) stops Andrews running back Ronnie \\ hituorth (8)
while Wayne Branch (2) comes to assist.
STAFF PHOTOS BY DOUG BUTTER
WEST BRUNSWICK HEAD COACH JIM BRETT was soaked but smiling following the Trojans' IV
14 win. Brett has led the team to two state championships in two years at the school.
STAFF PHOTO Br SUSAN USHER
WEST BRUNSWICK EANS gave their team a hig lift in the fourth quarter. Among the 1,500 were
(from left) Lonnie Mitchell, Calvin Reaves and Shawn Stevenson, members of last year's state champi
onship team.
North Carolina's Best!
1st row (l-r): 40-Ty Brown, 31 -Greg Gause, 4-Corey Hill, 77-Darius V aught, 22-William Stanley,
55-Jonathan Faulk, 53-Walter Salano, 62-Jamison Gore, 35-Ricky Hilt, 21-Dexter Bass. 2nd row (l-r):
42-Jamal Stanley, 63-Blake Hobbs, 2_\Vayne Branch, 75-Charlie l'eele, 44-Neil Warren, 65-Kelley
Woolen, 66-Kip Young, 56-John Robinson, 11-Michael Johnson, 15-Dominique Hewett, 52-Brian
McDowell. 3rd row (l-r): 50-Kwalxna Green, 80-Leon Johnson, 89-Eric Andreis, 3-Eric Johnson,
5? Sieve Holmes, 47-Timmy V aught, 32-Mkhael Lance, 83-Terrell Thomas, 10-Timothy Daniels. 4th row
(l-r): 85-Heath Intnan, 46-James Morgan, 67? Phillip Johnson, 82-Derek Frink, 34-Todd Pruit, 73-Steve
Brooks, 45-Chris Brown, 78-Marcus McCray. Back row (l-r): Trojan Coaching Staff: Mike Alderson,
Joe Noble, Head Coach Jim Brett, Charlie Stevens, David Arrowood.
WEST
BRUNSWICK
TROJANS
1 993 STATE
AAA
CHAMPIONS
I FORD
And...
JONES
FORD
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