By Staff
Mike Self FCT Sports Editor
RED BAY - If the folks from West End-Walnut Grove harbored any hopes Friday night that Red Bay might get caught looking ahead to a potential second-round matchup with nemesis Randolph County, those hopes quickly vanished into the cold mist falling at Fred Bostick, Jr. Memorial Stadium.
The second-ranked Tigers blitzed the overmatched Patriots with three touchdowns in the first nine minutes and looked sharp in every phase of the game, cruising to a 45-0 win in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs.
"We dominated tonight. This is how we have to keep playing, and we can," said senior receiver Randy Lowery, whose 59-yard touchdown catch made it 38-0 early in the third quarter. "We didn't let them hang around like we did with Colbert Heights a couple of weeks ago. We just came out and took care of business. This win will really help our confidence."
The Tigers (11-0) will need all the confidence they can muster as they prepare for Friday's much-anticipated visit from No. 6 Randolph County, who has eliminated Red Bay from the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
"We're hoping the third time will be a charm," said Tiger coach Dale Jeffreys, who will be trying to win 12 games in a season for the first time in his eight years at Red Bay. "We've worked hard, and we're right where we were last year. Maybe this time it will turn out differently."
Red Bay was 11-1 last season before losing 19-14 to Randolph County at home in the quarterfinals. In 2002, Red Bay took a perfect 11-0 record to Wedowee for a second-round showdown and came away with a 24-16 loss.
Even with the potential rematch looming, the Tigers looked far more focused and motivated than distracted on Friday night.
Red Bay averaged 12 yards per play in the first half and out-gained the Patriots 231 yards to 64. West End (3-8) managed just three first downs before halftime, two of them coming on fake punts.
"We knew they were going to come over here and try to run the football on us, and we challenged our kids to not let that happen," Jeffreys said. "We played good defense tonight. We talked about getting good field position early and getting a few quick scores, and we were able to do that. Offensively, Brandon [Colburn] had some big runs for us and we had that big pass play. We haven't hit a lot of really big plays this year, but we got a few tonight."
The first one came on special teams. After West End's opening drive resulted in a loss of 11 yards, Kurt Kennedy fielded the ensuing punt and took it 40 yards to the end zone for Red Bay's fourth return touchdown in the last three games.
"That punt return really got us off to a good start," Jeffreys said.
After another three-and-out by the Patriots, the Tigers needed just two plays to score again.
Colburn took a toss right and scored from 48 yards out to make it 14-0 midway through the first quarter.
West End once again went nowhere on offense, and Red Bay moved 53 yards in five plays to add another score. A 23-yard run by Bradley Long and a 13-yard run by Colburn set up Byron Hellums' 1-yard touchdown run that made it 21-0 with 3:34 left in the first quarter.
The Patriots' first 12 plays from scrimmage totaled minus-2 yards before a fake punt on fourth-and-11 produced 29 yards and their initial first down late in the first quarter.
West End turned the ball over on downs a few plays later, and Red Bay drove 76 yards in nine plays to extend the lead. Colburn, who finished the night with 138 yards on 12 carries, lined up at quarterback for the first few plays of the drive and had runs of 9, 13 and 10 yards to move the Tigers into Patriot territory.
Kennedy capped the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Brian Humphries on his first pass attempt of the night. Chris Frame's PAT made it 28-0 midway through the second quarter.
Humphries added three more catches totaling 51 yards on the Tigers' final drive of the half to set up Frame's 28-yard field goal that made it 31-0.
Colburn lost a fumble on the second-half kickoff, but Humphries picked off an Andrew Brand pass to give possession back to Red Bay.
Several plays later, Kennedy rolled to his right after he was flushed from the pocket and fired a strike 40 yards downfield to Lowery, who had gotten behind the Patriot defense. He took it in the rest of the way for a 59-yard touchdown that made it 38-0 with 8:32 left in the third quarter.
A 36-yard touchdown run by Colburn with 1:50 left in the third finished off the scoring.
Kennedy finished the night 5-of-8 for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Hellums rushed for 58 yards on nine carries, and Long finished with 61 yards on just six attempts.
Red Bay had 404 yards of offense on the night, including 279 on the ground.
The Patriots finished with just 146 yards of offense and committed three turnovers in the second half.
Samuel Thigpen intercepted a pass for Red Bay, and A.J. Morrell forced and recovered a fumble.