War Eagles fall to Hawthorne, 28-14
The Wakulla War Eagles traveled to Alachua County to take on the Hawthorne Hornets last Friday night, and were defeated 28-14, falling to 5-2. War Eagle Head Coach Derek Allen Jr. had a simple assessment: “They were more physical than we were.” Early in the game, Wakulla was up 8-0 on a 50-yard pass-and-run from quarterback Ashton Brooks to receiver Demarkus Roberts. Quarterback Jaylen Jones came in for the 2-point try and scored. They held the lead until the second quarter when a 75-yard punt return by the Hornets and a 2-point play tied it. The ensuing kickoff to the War Eagles was short, going to an up-man, it was muffed and recovered by the Hornets at midfield. The drive culminated in a touchdown run and another 2-point play to go up 16-8. “Momentum shifted to them” on that drive, said Coach Allen. The coach also pointed to problems on offense that hamstrung them: first down penalties and one or two fumbled handoffs. When you’re a run-first offense like the War Eagles, the first down penalties are difficult to overcome, the coach said. Just before halftime, the Hornets scored again – the 2-point try was unsuccessful – and the War Eagles faced a 22-8 hole. The second half kickoff went out of bounds and the Hornets started at their 35. First play from scrimmage was a 65-yard touchdown run – 2 point try was no good. Hawthorne was up 28-8. Wakulla’s offensive drives stalled, but the War Eagle defense played stout. In the 4th quarter, Demarkus Roberts had a 70-yard punt return for an apparent touchdown called back on a ruling he had stepped out of bounds – though there didn’t appear to be a referee’s whistle stopping play. Added to that, a penalty for sideline warning. Then a quarterback sack; then a dropped pass. With 1:46 remaining, Demarkus Roberts grabbed a pass that had been tipped by a defender and took it to the end zone – a very athletic play. The 2-point try was no good. But the attempted onside kick didn’t go 10 yards before Wakulla touched it. And the Hornets went into victory formation and ran out the clock. Final: 28-14. Coach Allen named Roberts the Overall Player of the Week, Offensive Player of the Week, and Special Teams Player of the Week because of his outstanding performance. Lee-Anthony Green was named Defensive Player of the Week. Quarterback Ashton Brooks went 6-for-12 passing for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns, with one interception. Overall, the War Eagles rushed for 137 yards as a team. Middle linebacker Rayshon St. Hilaire had 12 tackles in the game.
UP NEXT:
GODBY COUGARS
The winner of this game is likely District Champion. Both Wakulla and Godby are 1-0 in the district – Wakulla after beating Suwannee, and Godby after defeating Baker. “Godby is a pretty balanced team,” said Coach Allen. “They throw and run. They’ve been putting up 30 to 45 points a game.” (Notable that Baker held them to 14 points in their game.) “Their defense is not as strong as what we faced last week, but still strong.” To win, Allen said, his offense will have to dictate the pace of the game – “Play our style of football and keep their offense off the field.” Friday night is also senior night at J.D. Jones Stadium: senior football players will be recognized before the game, and senior band, cheerleaders and color guard will be recognized at halftime.