OAKWOOD — West Hall was not about to let last week's season opening loss cloud its focus for the "Battle of Oakwood."
The Spartans bounced back in style courtesy a 41-8 victory over Johnson, displaying some impressive intensity to yield West Hall's sixth-straight win over the Knights.
“From day one this week, we told our seniors, ‘we have to keep this streak alive,’” Spartans Head Coach Krofton Montgomery said. “Our seniors wanted to be 4-0 against Johnson, our in-county rival, and that’s extremely important. I don’t really look at the schedule as much of who we’re playing, as much as we need to improve in all the facets of our game.”
The Spartans (1-1) did just that and showcased their balanced offensive attack, scoring three touchdowns on the ground, as well as three through the air. Senior quarterback Quentin Smith threw two touchdowns in the first quarter, setting the tone for the game. Smith led the West Hall offense, completing 8 of 14 passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns while adding seven rushes for 47 yards.
In each of his two first quarter touchdown passes, Smith hooked up with his leading receiver on the night, senior Devon Williams. Smith delivered a 37-yard bomb to Williams with 2:30 remaining in the first quarter, then as time expired in the opening quarter, Smith and Williams connected once again, this time from 26 yards out, to put West Hall ahead 20-0 over the Knights (1-1).
The Spartans also got their ground game going early as junior running back Solomon Riley broke off a 24-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the contest. Riley, the finesse, and junior running back Michael Thompson, the power, proved a two-headed monster that the Johnson defense just could not contain.
“Thompson’s an absolute load,” Montgomery said. “He’s a proven commodity, and he’s a no-doubt great player. Riley is electric when he touches the ball, whether that be on kickoff return or any time.”
Riley finished the game with 119 yards on seven carries and one touchdown, while Thompson ran for 55 yards on nine carries and one touchdown, and also caught one pass for 35 yards that resulted in a touchdown.
West Hall had 308 total yards on the ground, and 465 yards of total offense. Senior receiver Jeremiah Prather had four carries for 43 yards from the jet sweep, while junior running back Braylon Powell had four carries for 44 yards.
Johnson was able to get on the scoreboard in the early part of the fourth quarter, as senior quarterback Sam Corbett connected with senior wide receiver Garry Daies for a 41-yard touchdown pass with 11:06 remaining in the game. Corbett then ran in a two-point conversion attempt to make the score 41-8 in the Spartan’s favor.
West Hall looks to keep rolling next week when they face the Jefferson Dragons in the Spartan’s 2018 home opener.
Meanwhile, Johnson hopes to get back to their opening game winning ways as they host the Bears of Cherokee Bluff.
SCORING SUMMARY
WEST HALL....20....14....7....0 -- 41
JOHNSON.........0......0....0....8 -- 8
First Quarter
W- Solomon Riley 24-yard run (Rodrigo Lopez kick no good) 6-0, 11:03
W- Devon Williams 37-yard pass from Quentin Smith (Lopez kick) 13-0, 2:30
W- Devon Williams 26-yard pass from Quentin Smith (Lopez kick) 20-0, 0:00
Second Quarter
W- Michael Thompson 11-yard run (Diego Lorenzo kick) 27-0, 8:56
W- Solomon Riley 35-yard pass from Quentin Smith (Lorenzo kick) 34-0, 4:50
Third Quarter
W- Quentin Smith 21-yard run (Lorenzo kick) 41-0, 1:17
Fourth Quarter
J- Garry Daies 41-yard pass from Sam Corbett (Corbett run for two point conversion) 41-8, 11:06
