One week after allowing 46 points, the Maiden High defense had something to prove.
The Blue Devils limited Draughn, averaging 282 yards and 31 points per game coming in, to 194 yards in a 31-7 road victory in a battle Friday night for second place in the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A.
Maiden (7-4, 6-1) trailed for only 10 seconds en route to its highest league finish since 2006.
After Wildcats quarterback Keith Loomis found Alex McGee for a 25-yard TD pass on the game’s opening possession, Jose Campos took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a TD.
“Our kickoff team has done a good job this year,” Blue Devils head coach Brian Brown said. “Most people haven’t been kicking to us. …
“We’ve got two guys back there who can run, they just need a seam. That was a big momentum shifter.”
Early in the second quarter, running back Will Jenkins and his offensive line made sure things kept going Maiden’s way.
Jenkins scored on a 56-yard run one play after a Draughn punt to make it score 14-7. A 42-yard goal by Ian Oliver as time expired in the second quarter then gave the Devils a two-score lead.
Jenkins — who ran for a game-high 214 yards on 32 carries — tacked on TD carries of 1 and 5 yards in the third quarter. Quarterback Matt Johnson attempted just four passes but rushed 18 times for 100 yards.
Loomis led the Wildcats (8-3, 5-2), who finished third, with 99 rushing yards on 21 carries. But he threw just his third and fourth interceptions of the year as Draughn tried to come back late.
Through 10 games this year, Draughn led the turnover battle, 25-8, a trend Maiden reversed with three takeaways and no turnovers. Jenkins (pass breakup) and Campos each picked off passes, while Austin Wright recovered a fumble and Richard Kerekes notched a sack.
“That was the best full game our defense has played,” Brown said. “To hold Draughn to seven with the weapons they have. But it was a tough night to throw.
“I was happy with how our guys responded. I can’t say I’m surprised, but I wasn’t real sure we’d come in here and score 31.”
The victory, Maiden’s sixth in seven games, should put the Blue Devils squarely on the bubble for a first-round playoff home game next week. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) releases playoff brackets on Saturday.
“There was a lot of people probably in our stands trying to count and figure out where it’s at,” Brown said. “I don’t even look at it. The state will tell us where we’re playing, and we’ll go from there.”
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement