By RICK NOLTE
Staff Writer
With its offense hampered by a rain-soaked field and untimely penalties, Ware County’s defense produced big plays Friday night to pave the way to a 14-10 victory over Benedictine in Memorial Stadium.
In the sloppy conditions, the third-ranked Class AAAAA Gators (3-0) relied on the running game and defense to topple the defending Class AAAA champions. The win avenged a 49-42 loss to the Cadets last year in Savannah.
“The character we have with those guys defensively is unbelieveable,” Ware County head coach Jason Strickland said. “Our defensive staff put together a great gameplan and the guys went out and executed it about as flawlessly as we could’ve asked them. They created some big turnovers, made some great tackles in open space and some really, really big stops when we had to have them.”
Rain began falling in the area shortly before 5 p.m. and continued off and on the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening before stopping as the teams were lining up for the kickoff.
With the water from the field often splashing up from the action, Ware County had 178 yards rushing on 52 attempts with Dae’ Jeaun Dennis accounting for 103 of the total on 24 carries. Quarterback Niko Smith connected on only 3-of-11 passes for 37 yards, but one of the three covered 31 yards and set up one of the Gators’ two touchdowns.
The Gators hurt themselves with seven penalties for 40 yards, one wiping out a touchdown. But were able to escape the rainy conditions with no turnovers while the Cadets suffered three.
“We said before the game they’re probably going to have to change a little who they are (offensively) because of the field conditions and we couldn’t turn the ball over,” Strickland said. “We didn’t do a whole lot offensively, but we didn’t turn the ball over.”
The defense came up big by intercepting a pass that led to the winning touchdown midway through the final quarter and making it stand up by stopping the Cadets’ final two possessions with a fourth-down sack and a sack that led to a fumble after Benedictine (1-2) cut the lead to four points with a field goal.
“I can’t be more proud of our defense,” Strickland said.
Benedictine managed 246 yards of total offense, but 112 of that total came on two runs, one a 51-yard touchdown by running back University of Minnesota commit Za’Quan Bryan. Florida State commit quarterback Luke Kroemenhoek completed 13-of-21 passes for 114 yards, but most were within a couple yards of the line of scrimmage to Bryan, who had 11 receptions for 63 yards.
“What a football player,” Strickland said of Bryan, a senior. “I hope he gets on the bus and never comes back to Waycross. An incredible football player.”
Ware County running backs R.J. Boyd and C.J. Johnson, a sophomore and a junior, respectively, scored Ware County’s touchdowns. Sophomore William Bates completed the Gators’ total with a pair of conversion kicks.
It took the the visitors only four plays to get on the scoreboard after forcing Ware County to punt on its first possession following the opening kickoff. Bryan had his hands on the ball on all four plays of the 69-yard drive — two runs and two passes.
As the lone back beside Kromenhoek, Bryan took a handoff and sprinted around the right side where he slipped a couple of tackles near the line and raced home from 51 yards with 8:38 left in the first period for a 7-0 lead after Hudson Groves’ conversion kick.
The Gators answered by driving from their 36 after the kickoff to a first down at the Benedictine 34 only to by stymied by a pair of penalties on the way to being stopped on a fourth-and-11 at the 24. The key infraction for an ineligible lineman downfield wipe out a 21-yard touchdown pass off a post pattern from Smith to running back Dewayne Birden, who had lined up in the slot.
Smith’s fourth-down pass to Jarvis Hayes on a slant was knocked away by a Cadets defender at the goal line to end the threat.
After forcing a punt, Ware County tied the game, moving 69 yards in nine plays with Boyd following Dennis up the middle for a two-yard score with 4:15 left in the first half. The drive was kept alive by a pass interference penalty on a third-and-7 play from the Ware County 38. Dennis accounted for 32 yards in the march on five runs.
“What a battle warrior Dae’ Jeaun was,” Strickland said of the powerful, 6-foot, 210-pound junior.
The score stayed that way entering the final period after the Cadets drove twice into Ware County territory only to miss field goals of 41 and 30 yards. Hall’s interception early in the fourth quarter set up the winning points.
Under heavy pressure on a third-and-15 play from the BC 28, Kromenhoek overthrew his intended receiver and the senior safety was right there for the pick and return to the Cadets’ 37. It took the Gators six plays to score from there, but thanks only to a heady play from Smith.
On third-and-7 from the 34, the junior quarterback was flushed from the pocket, but just before he crossed the line of scrimmage found receiver Chase Boggan alone near the sideline. The sophomore back-up pulled in the pass and weaved his way to the three for a first-and-goal.
After a false start, Boyd ran twice for five yards before Johnson, a back-up quarterback last year, scored from the wildcat formation with 8:46 remaining.
Benedictine appeared poised to tie the game after the ensuing kickoff when Na’Seir Samuel ripped off a 51-yard run on the first play for a first down down to the Ware County nine. However, the Gators defense came up big and allowed only a 33-yard field goal by Asher Sigmon with 7:07 left.
“Last year, (Benedictine) would’ve scored on the next play,” Strickland said. “That’s a mature bunch (Gators defense) over there. They knew how to handle that big play.”
Ware County’s defense protected the slim margin with stops on Benedictine’s final two possessions.
The first came when Kromenhoek was tackled on s scramble form the pocket for no gain on fourth-and-7 from his own 24. The Cadets had one last chance after knocking away a Smith pass in the end zone intended for Hayes on a fourth-and-6 play from the 20 with 1:20 left.
However, after a pass gained 15 yards on first down, Hargrove stripped Kromenhoek on a sack and the Gators picked up the fumble to run out the clock.
Ware County is off this week before returning home to face Class 4A Bainbridge at 7:30 p.m., Friday, September 23.
