97-yard kickoff return sparks Columbus High; Shaw’s new blocking scheme pays off
Westover got on the scoreboard first with a field goal, but Columbus senior Ian Rome ensured that lead was short-lived.
Rome returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, sparking the Blue Devils over the Patriots 46-26 Thursday night at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium.
“He jump-started us,” said Columbus head coach Phil Marino.
Columbus never trailed again and led 39-6 at halftime.
The Blue Devils improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in Region 1-AAAA. The Patriots fell to 1-2 and 0-1.
“We just played lights-out in the first half,” Marino said. “We turned a couple of turnovers into points, and our defense was outstanding. We just were able to keep them down.”
Columbus senior quarterback Donovan Carter completed 18 of 22 passes for 189 yards, four touchdown and no interceptions. His most productive target was senior wide receiver Caleb Bailey, whose eight receptions totaled 72 yards and three touchdowns. Junior running back Tre Peterson was the standout on the ground with 17 carries for 143 yards and one touchdown.
Senior linebacker Bryce Owens led the Blue Devils on defense with five total tackles, including two sacks.
Shaw 32, Dougherty 12
Benefitting from an early bye week in the late summer heat, the Shaw Raiders showed the stamina to turn a doubtful game into a solid 32-12 victory Thursday night against the Dougherty Trojans at Kinnett Stadium.
The Raiders held a 12-6 edge after three quarters, but they used a 20-point fourth quarter to pull away from the Trojans.
Shaw improved to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in Region 1-AAAA. Dougherty fell to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in the region.
“Fatigue is a factor this time of year, but nobody got tired,” Shaw head coach Al Pellegrino said. “Everyone contributed. The offensive line was creating huge holes.”
The Raiders opened the season with a 48-0 rout of Kendrick, then were dominated by Northside 48-15, so they used the bye week to change their blocking schemes, Pellegrino said.
“Our running game started to click,” he said. “We had four or five guys that rushed for 70 yards or more. … Our offensive line doesn’t get much limelight, but they did a great job.”
Pellegrino also praised sophomore quarterback Wason Davis for “not making sophomore mistakes and managing the game pretty well.”
Shaw’s defense, Pellegrino said, gave the offense “great field position” and “swarmed to the football. A lot of guys were flying around and creating turnovers.”
Most emphatically was the fumble junior defensive end Michael Jones caused, setting up junior outside linebacker Moussa Nabe’s 26-yard scoop-and-score to seal the win.
Mark Rice, 706-576-6272, @MarkRiceLE.
This story was originally published September 6, 2018 at 10:49 PM.