‘Grouped-up’ SWR rallies from early deficit

ASHEBORO — After Providence Grove scored touchdowns on its first two possessions for a 13-point lead less than five minutes into the game, who could have blamed the Southwestern Randolph fans for glaring into the sky and uttering a “here we go again” sigh.

The Cougars’ defense, which had surrendered 142 points in the past four games, was headed in that same direction last Friday night in their Piedmont Athletic Conference battle with the Patriots. 

Only this time, they weren’t.

That defense found a way to stop PG on its next six possessions, giving the Cougars time to get their running game going in high gear, and SWR rode that ground attack to a 42-26 victory at Ivey B. Luck Stadium.

Brody Sheppard scored three touchdowns as the Cougars scored 35 straight points for a 35-13 lead and rode out the final quarter to improve to 2-2 in PAC play and 5-4 overall.

Quarterback Noah Stills engineered an offense that generated nearly 400 yards, with Stills rushing for 103 and throwing for 138 more, Sheppard rushing for 64 yards and three scores on just eight carries, Owen Whelan adding 44 yards and a touchdown, Asher Perkins and Devonte Jenkins earning positive yardage on their carries, and wide receiver Julian Mosely scoring on a 36-yard end around.

But it didn’t start out as if the Cougars would be the ones celebrating a key league win.

“We knew we could win, we expected to,” said Sheppard, a junior running back who scored on runs of 4, 4 and 5 yards during SWR’s 35-point streak. “We started out by letting a couple of plays get behind us and then we came out and played hard. We realized we weren’t attacking hard enough and we weren’t putting pressure on them like we needed to. We grouped-up together, talked about it and came out and did it.”

After scoring on its first two drives — getting a 57-yard pass from quarterback Jackson Lawver to Jackson Rhyne on their third play from scrimmage and a 10-yard scoring strike from Lawver to Rhyne with 7:28 to play in the first — PG enjoyed a 13-0 lead before fans had settled in their seats.

“PG (1-3, 2-7) came out ready to play and we knew they would,” said SWR veteran coach Seth Baxter, who called this contest a playoff elimination game. “Our kids have grown up. There was a time when we would have fallen back. We talked about facing adversity and how you had to be able to play mentally and physically on every play. We got our running game going and went back to our plan.”

Senior Kempton Reed knew this would be the final time the senior class played on Charlie Chapman Field.

“You have got to be a team, you have to step up,” Reed said. “Coach got us together and said we had to step up. This is the last opportunity we have on this field. We had to step up and that’s what we did.”

Not only did the defense force six straight stops, the special teams got into the act when PG faced a fourth down on its own 39-yard line and Logan Marsh broke through the line to block the football. The ball rolled toward the goal line, where Damon Mobley picked it up and stepped into the end zone. That gave SWR its first lead at 14-13.

“Our word of the week was courage,” Baxter said. “Being accountable to teammates, coaches and to continue to work. Don’t be afraid to be successful. Once it was 14-13, we controlled the game.”

Reed, Whelen, Jose Flores, Perkins, Nathan Sfeir and Sheppard were keys who sparked a defense that came alive, allowing the Patriots very little until two late scores allowed PG to narrow its deficit.

“He’s got a motor,” Baxter said of Sheppard, who has lined up at outside linebacker and drops back in pass coverage like a cornerback. “One of the adjustments after the start was to get him to loosen up. He can bounce around the field in different positions. He just needs to be turned loose.”

With a 21-13 halftime lead, the Cougars came out and put together a 16-play drive that covered 80 yards with Sheppard scoring from 4 yards out. Stills, Whelen and Perkins also had carries in the drive.

“That was huge,” Baxter said of the scoring drive, which took 7:56 off the clock. “Our offensive line blocked well and Noah did a good job of managing the game. He runs so hard.”

Then the defense continued to force punting situations. 

“When you get something positive to happen, that becomes contagious,” Baxter said. 

There were a lot of positives as SWR prepared for its final PAC battle with Trinity Friday night after the Bulldogs shocked previously undefeated Randleman last week.