Smith, Thomas lead Spencer to shutout of Northside

After performing admirably and actually leading 7-0 at halftime before falling 21-7 to rival and perennial power Carver last week, the Spencer Greenwave had confidence heading into Thursday night's matchup against Northside at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium.

They used that confidence to pick up their first win of the 2015 season, shutting out the Patriots 21-0.

The Greenwave defense held the same Northside offense that ran wild against the Cherokees last week in check. Running back Kalan Watts picked up just 42 yards rushing on 15 carries and 2 yards on three catches. Watts did manage a 39-yard return that gave the Patriots the best starting position of the night, but the offense was unable to convert that into points. Senior quarterback Levi Dunn finished 7 of 22 passing for just 28 yards and a pair of interceptions.

Spencer gained chunks of yards on the ground throughout the contest, led by senior Tyrell Smith's 99-yard effort on 25 carries, including a rushing touchdown.

He also had one reception for 15 yards to give him triple digit yardage on offense. Quarterback Khalil Thomas had an efficient night, finishing 10 of 14 passing for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns, throwing scoring passes to Ervin Davis and Jaylen Taylor.

Spencer coach Pierre Coffey was pleased with how the Greenwave shared the wealth on offense.

"One thing we really try to do is spread the ball around. I think if you go back and chart our touches, they're evenly distributed," said Coffey. "Khalil is doing a great job of managing the offense and being the captain."

The Spencer offensive line was physical all night, providing the lanes for the Greenwave rushing attack.

"From right tackle to left tackle, they're gelling together," said Coffey. "We haven't seen what they're fully capable of doing. There's a lot of places for improvement that I see with them. Hopefully with our bye week, we can get better."

On the defensive side of the ball, the Spencer defense smothered the Patriots as well as forcing several Northside turnovers throughout the game.

"I'm impressed with their play," said Coffey. "The defensive tackles and the secondary played lights out. Just to see them come together and play like that is promising."

After the win, Coffey had a chance to reflect on his first win at the helm for the Greenwave, which equals Spencer's win total from the entire 2014 season.

"Tonight was all about proving ourselves, proving to the city that we can play football and we're not going to be an easy opponent," said Coffey. "Northside is a good team and I tip my hat to them. We've got to use this win to continue to grow as the season progresses."

After a bye week next week, the Greenwave prepare for a huge game with state power Peach County on Sept. 18.

"Everybody knows Peach County; they play big-time football down there. We need to get ourselves prepared for that," said Coffey.

For Northside, it was a stark contrast from their 35-0 win against Kendrick last week.

Northside coach Morgan Ingram found himself and his team having to regroup following Thursday's loss.

"There's no comparison," said a contrite Ingram in reference to the win against Kendrick the preceding week.

"(Spencer) was more physical than we were and they beat our butts up front."Thursday at MemorialNorthside 0 0 0 0--0

Spencer 7 14 0 0--21First Quarter

S--Tyrell Smith 2 run (Jaylen Taylor kick), 6:43Second QuarterS--Ervin Davis 7 pass from Khalil Thomas (Taylor kick), 9:10

S--Taylor 2 pass from Thomas (Taylor kick), 3:14

Team records: Northside 1-1. Spencer 1-1. Next: Northside, at Westover, Sept. 10, 7 p.m. Spencer, Sept. 18, vs. Peach County, site TBA

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 10:55 PM with the headline "Smith, Thomas lead Spencer to shutout of Northside ."