Spotswood wins with late score

By Dana Jones Correspondent
Published: September 26, 2008

STUARTS DRAFT – Inclement weather got the best of Stuarts Draft on Friday as Spotswood took a 7-0 win on Homecoming night.

The first half consisted of fumbles and slips on both sides of the field. The teams stayed close to midfield throughout the match until Draft made a breakaway towards the end zone in the second quarter.

On third-and-six the Cougars pitched it to running back Darius Woodson who escaped the Trailblazers’ defense for a 20-yard run, taking the pack to the 18-yard line. A quick crisscross play saw running back D.J. Hines head up the middle for 12 more yards. However, the Cougars were stopped at the six-yard line by the Trailblazers’ defense.

On fourth-and-goal Draft’s Jeff Wilson attempted a field goal with three seconds left on the clock, but Spotswood’s Justin Morris blocked the shot.

The third quarter saw a slow and steady pace for the Trailblazers who worked their way up the field. A 15-yard run from Spotswood’s Nick Wimer followed by an eight-yard pass to tight end Tony Barrett went nowhere for the Trailblazers due to a false start.

After quarterback Chad Williams was sacked in the backfield, the Trailblazers were at third-and-nineteen. Wimer took the ball into his hands and went right up the middle for a gain of 16-yards, but again the Trailblazers got nowhere due to a delay of game. The continuous flags forced Spotswood to punt.

The Trailblazers started the fourth quarter on the 30-yard line. A 20-yard run from Wimer put Spotswood in scoring position and a quick nine-yard run from Zack Miller took the Trailblazers in for the game’s lone touchdown.

“We put our defense in a terrible bind all night because we weren’t executing offensively,” said Stuarts Draft coach Rod Bowers.

The Spotswood defense stopped Draft in its tracks after the kickoff with an interception from Zach Wade, putting the Trailblazers at the Cougars’ 47-yard line.

Working their way down the field with a few yards here and there, the Trailblazers were again in scoring position. With Wimer out of the game due to an upper arm injury, Spotswood had no one to go to for a touchdown and was forced to attempt a field goal. A slip of the foot from kicker Michael Bullis put the ball shallow and wide.

“I have a real problem with the way that we define success with winning,” Bowers said. “There are a lot of things that happen that are successful that don’t involve winning.”