The Western Guilford Hornets overpowered the Smith Golden Eagles, marking the first 6A conference game of the season for both teams.
In a battle of the run game, the Hornets came out on top, 29-6, to advance to a 4-1 record.
“I’m old school,” Western Guilford head coach Anthony Timmons said. “I’m 45 years old, and I played at Winston-Salem State. I love to run the ball, but we can also throw the ball, whatever we need to do. It’s about finding a way.”
Smith addresses player punching referee
Heading into this week, the Golden Eagles looked to get back on track after a 16-14 loss to Andrews – a game that came to an abrupt ending after a player threw a punch at a referee.
Although a brief first-half scuffle saw a couple shoves thrown between one Smith player and a Western Guilford player, both players were assessed personal fouls and play resumed as normal. Parris Baxter, the Golden Eagles’ head coach, felt his team conducted itself with more self-control, compared to last week’s mistakes.
Before Friday’s game, Baxter gathered his team up to re-enforce Smith’s mantra: FLUID, standing for focus, leadership, unity, intentionality and discipline.
“We definitely went back to the drawing board, had some mentors come in, have some alumni come, have some SROs [student resource officers] come in and talk about conducting ourselves, working on our personal skills,” Baxter said. “We’re changing the culture. It’s a step at a time. We have a young crew, so them understanding that now, helps us in the long run.”
A comeback thwarted
While Western Guilford built a 15-0 lead by halftime, the Golden Eagles attempted to take back momentum following their first touchdown of the game to cut the deficit to nine points.
In the final minutes of the third quarter, they forced a fumble on a Hornet kickoff return, but a series of mistakes thwarted the comeback attempt.
A bad snap pushed the Golden Eagles back for a 2nd-and-24 attempt, then quarterback Corey Sperling threw a pick-six shortly thereafter. That shifted the game, according to Baxter.
The Hornets solidified their lead at 22-6 heading into the final quarter, effectively tilting the scale back in Western Guilford’s favor. Smith never recovered.
“We have to do better in the moments that we have,” Baxter said. “When we have the game in our hand and we’re a momentum team – we realize that – we just have to take care of the football, stop the run and score.”
The Golden Eagles fell to 1-3 in their eighth straight road loss, dating back to last season.
Hornets take advantage of mistakes
Offensive struggles plagued Smith, just as Western Guilford found its groove.
The Golden Eagles surged down the field in the waning minutes of the first half, looking to put up their first score of the game. But in the redzone with 0.8 seconds on the clock, Western Guilford batted down Smith’s field goal attempt, maintaining the Hornets’ 15-0 advantage at the break.
Then, when Smith drove down the field in the second half and finally scored, the Golden Eagles elected to try for a two-point conversion. Western Guilford stopped them a yard in front of the goal line.
But while Smith’s offense slowed, the Hornets relied on their running backs and the quick legs of their quarterback to find the end zone four times throughout the night.
After missing their first field goal attempt, the Hornets stormed down the field on every scoring drive, with quarterback Caleb Moore running in the first touchdown and CJ Blevins finding the end zone after a strip at the 34-yard line for the second. Three out of four touchdowns were thanks to run plays, putting the strength of this West Guilford offense on full display.
“It’s just one game at a time,” Timmons said. “It’s the first conference game, so it’s a big win. It’s the first time we’ve played Smith since I’ve been here. A lot of these kids know each other, and that’s what makes for good battles and good rivalry.”
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Caroline Wills
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