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TOP: The field was marked to honor longtime assistant coach Rick Jones, who died a week earlier. LEFT: Xzavier Pearsall has become an offensive weapon for WRH. So has newcomer Devine West, right, who is en route to a touchdown after catching a pass from Pearsall.
TOP: The field was marked to honor longtime assistant coach Rick Jones, who died a week earlier. LEFT: Xzavier Pearsall has become an offensive weapon for WRH. So has newcomer Devine West, right, who is en route to a touchdown after catching a pass from Pearsall.
EACHEY – It’s said defense wins championships.
It’s also said any clash between Wallace-Rose Hill and Clinton, two of the traditional powers in the East, has a playoff atmosphere and feel.
A young and growing-quickly ’Dawg defense and three skill-position players bowled over Clinton last Friday night 35-18.
WRH (2-0) faces 4A power Leesville Road on Friday in the third of five straight games to open the season at Jack Holley Football Complex/Thell Overman Field.
“The kicker to me is that this was a huge stage, enormous,” said sixth-year WRH coach Kevin Motsinger. “And our kids were ready, never put their heads down and we rocked at all three levels (offense, defense, special teams).”
Keys to the “D” might have been moving Tamarion Bellamy to nose guard, Josh Love, who has played as an offensive lineman and linebacker, to safety, and getting rugged play from middle linebacker Antwon Montgomery.
Motsinger, who is also the defensive coordinator, also mentions a slew of linebackers and D-linemen that are maturing quickly.
“Schrei (Jacob Shrei-Reyes) has been good as an outside ‘backer, Ox (Octavion Murphy), Kheman (Murphy), Deashawn (Taylor), Kevon (Karr), Marcos (Vallecillor), we were not ready for this stage two weeks ago,” Motsinger said.
WRH led 7-6 at halftime but put up 15 on its longtime rival in the third to go up 22-6, entering a fourth where both schools posted a pair of TDs.
“Clinton is loaded and a top-five team in the (2A) East,” Motsinger said of Clinton, which captured the ECC title three of four years from 2017 to 2020 and has five state titles in its archives, though none since 2005.
“We’ve got some young guys that are gonna be very, very good. We have so many more guys who can run and tackle in space, more than we’ve had in the last four years. When our offense turned the ball over, our defense said, ‘Ok, we’ll take care of this.’”
Montgomery and QB Xzavier Pearsall made huge contributions on both sides of the ball and Corbin Kerr emerged as a top RB.
Pearsall threw a TD pass, ran for 58 yards and a score, and was on-the-spot in the secondary.
“We literally shut down 90 percent of Clinton’s passing, and Xzay (Pearsall)could have had three interceptions,” Motsinger said.” He’s just starting to come up big now in the brilliance of Adam’s (offensive coordinator Scronce) playbook, which comes from Jack Holley.”
Montgomery and Corbin each scored twice. But Corbin was the workhorse carrying the ball 14 times for 114 yards, while Montgomery tallied 97 yards on eight totes.
“Corbin continues to get better,” Motsinger said of the Southwest Onslow transfer. “He was still when he got here and we’ve gotten his hips open and we can see him getting quicker. He’s starting to understand, and learn when to be patient and when to smoke it. He’s not even scratched the surface (of his potential.)”
Leesville Road is 2-0 this season with wins over Wakefield (48-7), and Panther Creek 38-14) last Friday.
QB John Mark Shaw was 12 of 20 for 110 yards and two scores. RB DJ Scott ran the ball 21 times for 116 yards and a score.
The Pride run a similar offensive shotgun-based attack to Clinton.
“Their quarter(back) runs like a deer and throws a fastball,” Motsinger said. “They have a D-1 lineman every year and they’re in the mix to win the (4A) East. They’re going to be the best team we see all year, except if we run into someone like Shelby deep in the playoffs.
“They’re a heck of a football team – and do not have guys going on both sides of the ball.
Last year the Pride lost to East Region champion Rolesville in the fourth round.
Michael Jaenicke can be reached at mjaenicke@apgenc.com
Michael Jaenicke can be reached at mjaenicke@ncweeklies.com
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