JESUP — Ware County focused on itself to prepare for its Region 1AAAA game Friday night here against winless Wayne County, and the result was a 42-7 romp at Jaycee Stadium.
The victory followed up last week’s 24-21 win against Warner Robins that ended a three-game run against the top of 1AAAA. The win pushed the ninth-ranked Gators record to 5-4 overall and 3-1 in the region entering this week’s season finale against New Hampstead to close the regular season.
Going 2-1 against the string of Benedictine, Perry (loss) and Warner Robins served some notice for the Gators, who are second in the region standings.
“The guys understand they’re good and they can go and compete,” Ware head coach Jason Strickland said after the dominating win. “We’ve had really the three best weeks of practice all year long. So, (we said) ‘let’s just play to a standard and not worry about who’s on the other sideline.’
“They (players) got off the bus with that attitude. I’m so proud of the way they competed.”
The majority of the Gators saw action on one side of the ball or on special teams in the contest, which was shortened in the fourth quarter with a running clock by the mercy rule. Seven players carried the ball while six players scored touchdowns and three others added extra point kicks.
“I was hoping we could get going fast,” Strickland said. “I counted like 26 or so players getting in on defense and we were probably close to that on offense. Those kids do so much in practice. It was good to see what they could do under the lights.”
Running back Tayshaun Franklin, who led the Gators in rushing with 79 yards on seven carries, scored on a oneyard run along with Jamir Boyd (seven carries, 34 yards) and Zhai Solomon. Trey Orange and backup quarterback Isaiah White each tallied on a five-yard run while White and Gunter Fore teamed on a touchdown pass. William Bates, Lennox Holder and Josue Delgadillo finished the scoring by splitting the six conversions.
Ware ran for 178 yards on 32 carries. It had only one run for negative yards until the final play, running out the clock.
“I’m proud of all those guys in that running back room,” the coach said. “They’re one of most unselfish units on the team. They are all high character guys who love to compete, yet pull for each other. Tonight was an opportunity for all of them.” Strickland pointed to the role of the offensive line, which has been a patchwork group the majority of the season because of injuries, in the ground game. The Gators lost veteran center Landon Smallwood to a knee injury for the season and have had others in and out of the lineup for various ailments.
“This was just the second week in a row we had the same offensive line together all year,” the coach said, mentioning the move of junior Demarius Dennis from defense to help shore up the group. “Dennis has given us some good reps over there on a crash course. He’s been a defensive player his whole life.
“I’m hopeful we can keep them healthy and they’ll continue to get better as they get more familiar with each other.”
The Yellow Jackets (0-10, 0-5) got their only points late in the fourth quarter against the Gators’ reserves on a run by Victor Lovett and the conversion kick of Christian Sellers. Wayne finished the season by scoring only 41 points, a school-record low for a 10-game season eclipsing the 52 produced in 2008.
The Gators scored the first two times they had the ball for a 14-0 lead after a quarter, and the game was never in doubt. They doubled the cushion by intermission with scores off two of their other three possessions of the half meanwhile while limiting Wayne County to minus-5 total yards and one first down — by penalty — in the first 24 minutes.
Ware County went 62 yards in nine plays off the opening kickoff with Franklin capping the drive with a one-yard run for his touchdown with 8:42 left in the opening quarter. Bates added the first of his three conversions for a 7-0 lead.
After forcing a punt, the Gators used six plays to go 53 yards with Boyd getting his one-yard score to end the possession with 4:22 left.
Ware County collected its other two touchdowns within a span of 1:06 late in the second quarter. The first came on a five-yard run by Orange (four carries, 26 yards) to finish an 11-play, 72-yard drive with 4:41 left in the half.
The visitors had the ball just seconds later after runner D.J. Holloway fumbled on the first play with Terron Birden returning the recovery to the Yellow Jackets’ 15. Two plays later, White connected with Fore over the middle for the touchdown on a six-yard pass with 3:35 left before intermission. Holder kicked the extra point to make it 28-0.
The Gators had a chance to pad the lead on the final play of the half when linebacker Nick Simmons perfectly read a quick slant pass intended for the Yellow Jackets’ Dwayne Sikes. The senior, however, couldn’t pull in the toss near midfield with a clear path to the end zone.
Wayne County’s second of three fumbles led to the Gators’ next touchdown that brought on a running clock for the final quarter. Jamias White recovered Jarvis Fullmore’s muff of a Bates punt at the Wayne County 22.
Five plays and a facemask penalty later, Solomon scored from a yard out with 3:35 left in the quarter and a 35-0 lead after Delgadillo’s conversion kick.
White added Ware County’s last touchdown on a five-yard run on the first play after Lojuan Blue picked up a fumble in the Yellow Jackets’ backfield and returned it 38 yards. Holder had his second conversion kick for a 42-0 lead with 9:15 left in the game.
Wayne County averted its fifth shutout of the season by scoring with 3:45 left on an eight-yard run by Lovett (seven carries, 75 yards). Lovett’s 43-yard run on the third of five plays in the 80-yard drive set up the score.
