By By Dale McKee/Special to The Star
October 25, 2003
WAYNESBORO The famous West Jones slogan "West is Best" could have been used after the Mustangs' heart stopping 23-15 win over Wayne County Friday night in front of over 10,000 fans at War Eagle Stadium.
The Mustangs are now 9-0 and have won their last 19 regular season games under Pierson. The War Eagles lost for the first time in 14 games.
The win gives the Mustangs a head up on the War Eagles in Region 5-4A play. West Jones is now 5-0, while Wayne County fell to 4-1.
Senior wide receiver Britt Barefoot did all the first-half scoring for the Mustangs, with three field goals, a touchdown reception, and a kick conversion as the visitors led 16-7 at intermission.
Running back Justin Young caught a little flare pass from Brett Hyatt on the Mustangs' first series of the second half and scooted 64 yards for a score. It was the final Mustang score of the night.
Wayne County took the first-half kickoff and marched 80 yards on nine plays to score on a Michael McLaughlin run of 11 yards. The big play was a 48-yard run by War Eagle quarterback J.J. Taylor. Breck Mills kicked the conversion and WC led 7-0, with 7:45 to play in the quarter.
West Jones came back and marched 80 yards to score on the first of three Barefoot field goals. The kick was from 25 yards and came with 3:26 to play in the quarter. Hyatt had four pass completions on the drive for 44 yards. The Mustangs racked up five first downs on the drive. A key play was an 18-yard pass completion to Michael Thigpen on a first and 15 play from the War Eagles' 26-yard line.
After forcing a Wayne County punt, the Mustangs took over on their 44-yard line and marched 56 yards on six plays to score. Hyatt hit Barefoot on a 42-yard pass play to give the Mustangs the lead for good. The score came at the 9:31-mark of the second period.
Wayne County's offense ran three plays and punted the ball back to the Mustangs at the the West 45-yard line. Hyatt threw a couple of incompletions, and the War Eagles' Jerell Powe intercepted a pass at the Mustangs' 45 yard line and was heading for the end zone. Powe was stripped of the ball at the West Jone's 10-yard line, and West Jones recovered the ball
West Jones moved to the Wayne County's 23-yard line on 12 plays, but the drive stalled and Barefoot was called on to kick a 40-yard field goal.
The Mustangs scored with only four seconds to play in the half when Barefoot kicked his third and final field goal of the night, a 19-yarder. The score was set up when West Jones recovered a War Eagle fumble at the Wayne County's 23-yard line with less than two minutes to play in the half.
West Jones came out to start the second half on offense and in three plays scored. Hyatt hit Young out of the backfield and the sophomore took off to the races. Barefoot's kick gave West Jones a 23-7 lead with 11 minutes to play in the third period.
The Mustangs only gained one first down the rest of the game and punted five times in the second half.
Wayne County finally got started on offense when Taylor hit Latrell Gray on a 51-yard pass play, with 10:08 to play in the game. The War Eagles then faked a conversion kick and McLaughlin ran it in for the two-point conversion cutting the West Jones' lead to 23-15.
After forcing West Jones to punt, Sims ran back a Barefoot punt 38 yards to the Mustangs' 27-yard line. Taylor was stopped one yard short of a first down on fourth-and-six from the West Jones 23-yard line.
Wayne County came right back after stopping West Jones and taking over on downs. The War Eagles started on their own 33-yard line. Two plays later, Tayor ran 19 yards to the Mustangs' 42. West Jones's defense, led by Archie Sims, came up with a fourth down stop at the 35-yard line, with 3:25 to play in the game.
The Mustangs then controlled the clock and Wayne had one final play, but the pass play was incomplete.
Hyatt was in complete control of the Mustangs' offense, as he hit on 14-of-24 passes for 212 yards.
Young led the rushers from West Jones with 118 yards on 24 carries. McLaughlin led Wayne County with 113 yards on 23 carries.
Wayne travels to Northeast Jones next Friday night while West ends the regular season with a home game against Northeast Lauderdale. Both are region games.