CLEMMONS
West Forsyth found a way to win again.
And East Forsyth saw another chance at victory wilt away.
Pete Balthrop recovered an Erick Smith fumble with two minutes left, stifling East's final drive and securing unbeaten West's 28-21 victory.
West (4-0) lost a two-touchdown lead in a span of less than two minutes late in third quarter. The Titans came back to take the lead early in the fourth quarter, blew an opportunity to put the game away with a crucial fumble inside the East 5, then needed the key fumble recovery by Balthrop to thwart the Eagles, who were driving toward the West 20.
"We should have put them away," Coach Adrian Snow of West said. "We had our opportunity. We have done a pretty good job of not making mistakes, but this is high-school football and mistakes are going to happen.
"But we found a way to win and that's big. You can't stress it enough. They like to win."
West scored touchdowns on its first two drives of the second half, getting a 2-yard run from Bobby Clark to go ahead 13-7, and a 2-yard run from Kersey Anthony and Clark's conversion run to lead 21-7.
East came back with a four-play, 63-yard drive highlighted by B.J. McKeever's 42-yard run, and McKeever scored on a 3-yard run. Andrew Kibler of West blocked the extra-point kick and West led 21-13.
West's first big mistake came at the end of its next possession, when the long snapper hiked the ball over punter Robert Cuadros' head and East took over at the West 4. Two plays later, Mike Wright scored on a 1-yard run, and Travis Cuthbertson's conversion run tied the score at 21.
West answered on its next possession, driving from its 38 to the East 27 before Patrick Midkiff completed a 26-yard fade pass to Ric Thompson on fourth and 14. Anthony scored from the 1 on the next play and West went ahead 28-21.
A miscommunication between coaches resulted in West chipping a short kickoff to the left side instead of kicking it deep, and it worked to West's advantage when sophomore Jermaine Lewis hustled down and recovered the ball.
After Bobby Clark of West broke a 36-yard run to the 2, West was on the verge of putting the game away. But Midkiff and Clark botched a handoff exchange, and Tyler Hollifield recovered for East.
After an exchange of possessions, East took over with 3:22 left and drove more than 30 yards with its running game before Smith -- who rushed for 76 yards -- fumbled.
"It's so hard to fault a kid," Coach Todd Willert of East said. "What do you tell him? He was trying to get every yard he could get. He got stripped but he was fighting for every yard he could get. He made a lot of great plays, some good throws, and our passing game is coming alive a little bit which will help.
"But it's the penalties. I preached all summer, guys not coming on time, and I have told the kids those little things are what matters."
McKeever rushed for 103 yards on 13 carries to lead East. Anthony rushed for 116 yards on 22 carries to lead West and Clark added 93 yards on 14 carries.
East took a 7-0 lead when Brad Smallwood caught a 41-yard touchdown from Smith in the first quarter, and West tied it when Thompson caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Midkiff in the second quarter.
It was another tough loss for East, which had Mount Tabor on the ropes last week before a late botched punt led to the winning score.
Willert said the loss hurt.
"Everyone else has said we are rebuilding," Willert said. "But we don't want to rebuild. My seniors don't want to rebuild. Last year (reaching the quarterfinals of the playoffs) wasn't a fluke and I hope people understand that.
"These things, sometimes as a coach you would rather lose 50-0 because games like these can be tough on kids."
■ Mason Linker can be reached at 727-7324 or at mlinker@wsjournal.com.
East Forsyth 7 0 14 0 -- 21
West Forsyth 0 7 14 7 -- 28
EF -- Smallwood 41 pass from Smith (Walker kick)
WF -- Thompson 19 pass from Midkiff (Price kick)
WF -- Clark 2 run (kick failed)
WF -- Anthony 2 run (Clark run)
EF -- McKeever 3 run (kick blocked)
EF -- Wright 1 run (Cuthbertson run)
WF -- Anthony 1 run (Price kick)
Records -- West Forsyth 4-0, East Forsyth 2-2
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement