By By Dale McKee/EMG sports writer
September 20, 2003
WAYNESBORO Seven different Wayne County players scored touchdowns here Friday night as the War Eagles opened division play with a 56-0 blasting of Florence.
Wayne County scored four times in the first eight and a half minutes of the game to lead 28-0 after the opening period. The War Eagles scored three more times in the second period and had a commanding halftime lead of 49-0. The game was played before a standing room only crowd on Homecoming night.
The War Eagles scored four plays into the game when quarterback J.J. Taylor ran 18 yards for a score.
Breck Mills then kicked his first of eight conversions, a school record. The score came with 10:55 to play in the opening period. Kennard Arrington set up the touchdown with a 60-yard kickoff return.
The War Eagles scored again at the 9:22 mark of the opening period when Taylor passed 7 yards to Shunta Pugh. The touchdown was set up when Doc Smith recovered a Florence fumble at the ten-yard line.
Three plays later, Tristan Rogers intercepted an Eagles pass and returned it 45 yards for a score with 7:38 to play in the opening period.
The War Eagles forced a Florence punt on the next series. WC then moved the ball 41 yards in three plays to score when 6-1, 185-pound freshman quarterback Drexel Johnson scored on a 31-yard run with 4:21 to play in the period.
In the second period, Taylor tallied on a 5-yard run. The drive took three plays in driving 43 yards.
Johnson hit Mario Davis on a 12-yard pass to put WC up 42-0 with 8:55 to play in the fist half.
Jerell Powe took the ball away from an Eagle back at the Florence 35-yard line to set up the score. Five plays later the War Eagles scored.
Bobby Jordan scored the final first half TD when he ran 12 yards for a score with 9 seconds to play before intermission. It was a 45-yard four-play scoring drive.
The only score in second half came late in the third period when William Brown scored from the one-yard line with 3:04 to play. It climaxed an eight-play 43-yard scoring drive.
Wayne racked up 275 yards rushing and held Florence to five yards of total offense.
Johnson led the WC rushers with 56 yards on 3 carries. A total of 14 War Eagles got to run the ball.
Wayne County, now 4-0 overall and 1-0 in district play, will travel to Quitman (0-0, 2-2), a 21-7 winner over Newton County. The War Eagles and the Panthers renew a football series that has been put on hold for the last three years. Florence (0-1,1-3) will host Northeast Lauderdale. The Trojans (1-0, 2-2) defeated Northeast Jones 14-7 last night.