By Luke Eden
The Press-Sentinel
The Wayne County High Yellow Jackets fell to the Effingham County Rebels Friday in a 27-0 shutout.
“I’m disappointed,” said coach Craig Davis after the game, “and disappointed for these seniors. They’re playing hard and practicing hard, but we’re just not coming out on top. Offensively we’re not moving the football. Even though we did better tonight, we just didn’t do enough. It’s a disappointment, but the kids are playing hard and that’s what we’ve got to continue to do.”
The Rebels took command of the field early Friday night, holding their lines and marching up the gridiron with a steady, determined running game.
The first two possessions of the game were a good indication of events to come, much to the dismay of the homecoming crowd.
Despite a promising 20-yard kickoff return by Danny Wohlgemuth, which started the Jackets off at the 30, Wayne County was three and out on their first possession. The Jackets were forced to punt after the Rebels stopped a rush by Pat Smith and shut down the Jackets’ receivers to force two incomplete passes.
Seeing William O’Quinn on the field ready to punt less than two minutes into their first possession was certainly not what fans were hoping for on homecoming, but when O’Quinn came out with a 53-yard kick, forcing the Rebels into a less-than-desirable field position on the 27, it seemed as if the Jackets might have some prospects after all.
The Rebels countered the big yardage of O’Quinn’s punt, though, with a long 30-yard completion on their second play. The pass came as a surprise from the run-dominant team, and a timely stop by Hunter Thompson in the secondary barely stopped the play from reaching the end zone. But with less than 40 yards standing between the Rebels and the goal line, it was only a matter of three plays before the Rebels were on the board.
Incompletions and small-yard gains plagued the Jackets all night, cutting short their drives and keeping them out of Rebel territory. An interception on the first play of the second quarter put an end to a promising drive by the Jackets, and the breakaway run by the Rebels’ defense put Effingham in scoring position for the second time of the night.
Down 14-0 30 seconds into the second quarter, the Jackets attempted to change the pace of the game, bringing Eric Daniel in as quarterback.
“We use [Daniel] at quarterback to run some read plays—trying to establish the quarterback position to run the football some. Eric can throw, too, so he gives us a multiple threat. He’s a good athlete; he fills a lot of roles for us.”
The Jackets have been using multiple quarterbacks all season, with Wesley Taylor and Joey Daniels trading off in the position.
“Wesley’s the No. 1 quarterback now, but Joey still plays. There’s not enough separation between the two of them talent-wise to sit one down and not play him. If one guy is moving the team, he’s gonna stay in the whole game—but we haven’t had anyone do that yet.”
“Wesley’s the No. 1 quarterback now, but Joey still plays. There’s not enough separation between the two of them talent-wise to sit one down and not play him. If one guy is moving the team, he’s gonna stay in the whole game—but we haven’t had anyone do that yet.”
With the Jackets’ relying on the versatility and finesse of the spread offense, a multiple quarterback system—which has the potential to radically change the pace and strategy of a team’s offense—gives the Jackets a few added tactics to keep opponents guessing.
However, the Rebels seemed to have the Jackets figured out and seemed ready to counter everything Wayne had to offer.
“We’re still not moving the ball like we should,” said Taylor. “Whether it be breakdown in protection (even though we had great protection all night tonight) receivers dropping the ball, or me not making a good throw, we’re just not consistent enough yet moving the ball.”
Despite the speed and aggressiveness of the Rebels’ defense, the Jackets managed to get off some good plays and had seven first downs in the game. With seconds remaining in the half, the Jackets had the Rebels’ backs against the end zone with first and goal at the 10. It was a tension-filled moment when the Jackets called their last time-out with under 10 seconds on the clock; there was time for only a single play when the teams returned to the line of scrimmage. But the Rebels stopped the Jackets’ last-minute drive, pulling down Smith moments after the handoff and heading to the locker room secure in a 14-0 lead.
The field was soon littered with flags after the teams returned from halftime. Effingham received to start off the third quarter and drove deep into Jacket territory. With a first down on the 13, the Rebels were in prime position to put seven more on the board. Only 13 yards from a 20-0 lead Effingham’s Raymond Hines scooted around the corner and into the end zone, only to be called back by the officials on a penalty. Three plays and three penalties later found the Rebels at second and 42 on the 44-yard line. The Rebels pushed back to the 20 on fourth down and attempted a conversion; they failed, and after another flag—a dead-ball penalty on the Jackets—Wayne County took possession on the 10.
While penalties may have prevented them from putting points on the board in the third quarter, the Rebels made up for it by posting another six on their second play of the fourth quarter. A turnover on an interception on Wayne’s first play following the touchdown gave the Rebels their next scoring opportunity.
The Jackets came close to putting some points on the board late in the fourth quarter when Taylor threw a big vertical pass to receiver Michael Rowley for a gain of more than 25 yards. In Rebel territory for the first time after the half, the Jackets were first and 10 at the 42. But yet again, after a series of costly incomplete passes and a gain of one, the Jackets turned possession over to Effingham.
“As a team, we’re not making plays right now; we’re just inconsistent,” said Rowley. “I just really wish we could get a win. We’re still a little banged up; we’re just trying to get our feet back under us and trying to get established. We’re kind of out of the playoff picture now; we’re just trying to get back in it and play for pride.”
With a fullback and two halfbacks in the backfield, the Rebels’ wishbone formation is a traditional running arrangement designed to facilitate a ground-based option-style offense. With three backs so close to the quarterback, the Rebels had plenty of choices for the handoff and plenty of blockers to open up holes in the Jackets’ defenses Friday.
Friday’s loss brings the Jackets’ record to 1-5 for the season in region play, 1-6 overall, effectively excluding them from the playoffs.
“With the playoffs out of the picture, we going to get ready to go play Lakeside in Augusta next week,” said Davis.