Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds light and variable..
Some clouds. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.
Hayden McGee had 142 yards in pass receptions and scored two touchdowns.
Hayden McGee had 142 yards in pass receptions and scored two touchdowns.
TEACHEY – Last Friday night, a revamped and reloaded Wallace-Rose Hill football team crushed East Bladen 61-7 at the Jack Holley Football Complex/Thell Overman Field on the grounds of Legion Stadium.
But wins, losses and everything in between pale after the WRH and Duplin County football community heard about the death of longtime offensive line coach Rick Jones. His “boys in the trenches” last fall unleashed three superb running backs to lead the Bulldogs to the East Region title.
At the day of this writing the details surrounding his death after a short warning period are reserved for his family.
But Jones was a true ’Dawg, and that too was his family. I feel confident he passed with 100 percent ’Dawg blood running through his veins.
“Our hearts are absolutely broken,” said WRH sixth-year head coach Kevin Motsinger. “We lost a great man, a friend and coach. He has helped so many boys, men and women in our community.”
Jones’ funeral will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at WRH’s Fine Arts Building.
Yet only his physical body will be near the stage.
His heart belonged somewhere between the Jack Holley weight room near the practice field on campus in Teachey, and historic Legion Stadium.
And if “The Five People in Heaven” is remotely real, as award-winning sportswriter and New Times bestseller Mitch Albom says in his book, several WRH people will … See him again!
No one can prove me wrong on that one.
And if WRH were to grant Rick Jones two final favors, I’m thinking one would have been to smack the air out of the Eagles, and then take down rival Clinton this Friday night at Legion Stadium.
Jones’ O-line anchored by center Jackson Stampe opened the lanes for new talent.
-----Corbin Kerr’s 115 yards rushing on 12 carries and 2 touchdowns, Jacorey Boney’s three scores (via run, reception and interception return), and touchdown runs by Irving Brown (6-64), Lonnie Wilson (8-61) and Antwon Montgomery (1-9).
Senior quarterback Xzavier Pearsall fired TD tosses to Boney and Brown.
Montgomery, is the lone runner to return from last year’s state-leading offense.
But most of his time was better spent at linebacker, and he was the monster leader of the defense that stymied the Eagles on every front.
And yet WRH’s defense was the offense’s best friend, something that has been rare in the past few seasons, even as the Bulldogs reached for the moon and beyond.
WRH turned turnovers into scores or make short fields for offensive coordinator Adam Scronce, who used more players than in the past, many unproven at the varsity level.
“It was the first varsity game for nine kids on offense and first for 13 on defense,” said Motsinger, who is also the defensive coordinator.”
Motsinger said he saw improvement on all fronts.
“We didn’t play very well at the jamboree, but every position group played better tonight,” he said. “We were physical at the point of attack and all seven of our linebackers were bringing it. So were our three ends, four nose guards, five D-ends and six or seven D-backs.
Motsinger also had high praise for Rick Jones’ boys up front.
“Our O-line really grew up a little. (Ashton) Duff and (Juan) Inestroza, and Daniel (Galvin) and Big J (Jhaydn Morriseau) took better angles and showed more confidence,” he said.
Boney’s pick-six started the scoring. Later feature clips included a scoop-and-score by Jacob Scheri and other turnover-related plays by Josh Love and Tamarion Bellamay.
WRH flexed its new muscles early and often.
“East Bladen is so much better than the score indicated and far better than they were last year,” Motsinger said. “We started slowly offensively, but our defense led the way.”
Motsinger praised senior Montgomery for his willingness to be a team player on a team with young and emerging runners following the loss of Duplin County’s all-time rushing leader Kanye Roberts, who is now at Appalachian State, and swift wingback Kaymond Farrior, currently at Fayetteville State.
“He just wants the team to win,” he said. “He trusts the process and we trust him. We didn’t play him much during the preseason because we know what he can do. He didn’t need the reps. The young guys do.
“To me this (non-conference slate) is the preseason. This ain’t hunting season yet and were teaching and growing so everyone is ready (for ECC play).
The always-classic confrontation with Clinton is a non-conference game for the second straight year after four seasons in which the Dark Horses won three ECC titles. They were realigned to a new league with Robeson and Bladen county schools.
“They’re huge, a big and physical team,” Motsinger said. “It’s a big game to our community, and the last I checked we’re still Goliath since we won the East (Region). And we’re always everyone’s team to beat. Wallace-Rose Hill still gets everyone’s best.”
Clinton whipped Goldsboro 49-0 in its opener.
Last year’s match-up against the Dark Horses was canceled due to Covid-19.
Motsinger is 1-3 versus Clinton since coming to WRH, whose last win (28-22) came 2017, in his first season with the Bulldogs. WRH lost 34-30 in 2018, 14-7 in 2019 and 36-27 in 2020.
Since consolidation in 1956, the ’Dawgs are 22-30 vs. the Horses, their most losses against any foe. Oddly, they are 9-17 at home but 13-13 at Clinton. They’ve dropped four of the past five at home in the series.
(WRH-Clinton series stats by Duplin Times correspondent Bill Rollins)
Michael Jaenicke can be reached at mjaenicke@ncweeklies.com
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