On their last home game of the 2014 season, the Whitewater Wildcats (5-3, 1-2) picked up an important Region 5-AAAA win by pitching a 30-0 shutout against the Fayette County Tigers (3-5, 1-2).
Jay Ashley and Christian Wafford, two of the more than 20 seniors honored before the game, scored a pair of touchdowns apiece for Whitewater.
After forcing a punt on the opening drive of the game, the Wildcats drove from their own 24 into the red zone before the Tigers’ defense stiffened and Liam Voigt came out to kick a 36-yard field goal.
Whitewater took over at the Fayette County 49 on its next possession after a failed fake punt. Wafford finished the drive when he broke a tackle and raced 20 yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead with 1:35 left in the first quarter.
The Tigers’ next drive was halted early in the second quarter when Justin Peck intercepted a pass and returned it to the Whitewater 26. On third-and-2, Wafford burst through the line for a 66-yard touchdown run.
The Wildcats got one more shot just before halftime because Daiquan Williamson snatched an errant shovel pass in the Tigers’ backfield. That gave Whitewater the ball at the FCHS 20, but Sean Ancrum picked off a pass a few plays later to silence the threat.
Whitewater took the second-half kickoff and marched down the field in short order. Ashley ran 10 yards for a touchdown on fourth-and-2, but a penalty nullified that play and the ensuing field goal attempt was wide.
After a three-and-out, the Wildcats took over at the Tigers’ 45 and this time they made it count. Ashley dashed into the end zone from 9 yards out, leaping over a defender as he crossed the goal line with 4:13 left in the third quarter to make the score 24-0.
Fayette County got some life when Robert Easterwood broke loose for a 54-yard run to the Whitewater 9. But the Wildcat defense picked up a big sack on third down at the 14, and a run on fourth down came up one yard short.
On the very next play, Wafford took the handoff and ran a whopping 94 yards before getting dragged down at the Tigers’ 5. Three plays later, Whitewater tried a fake field goal and Ashley ran the ball into the end zone from the kicker’s spot, but the play was blown dead because the holder was down on one knee when he took the snap and pitched it.
The Wildcats got the ball back in Fayette County territory and Ashley scored on a 1-yard run with 5:04 left in the game. That was the last score of the night.
The Wildcats travel to Woodward next Friday, while the Tigers play at Troup.
WOODWARD 28, SANDY CREEK 7: The Patriots (7-1, 2-1) suffered their first regular-season loss in 57 games dating back to the start of the 2009 season and their first region loss since 2007. They are now tied for second in Region 5-AAAA lead with Carrollton, who hosts Sandy Creek next Friday.
ELCA 35, LANDMARK 28: The War Eagles (6-2, 2-0) now are locked in a three-way tie at the top of Region 5-A with the Chargers and Our Lady of Mercy. Landmark travels to Strong Rock next Friday.
MUNDY’S MILL 33, STARR’S MILL 16: The Panthers (4-4, 3-2) host Northgate next Friday.
McINTOSH 51, FOREST PARK 22: The Chiefs (3-5, 2-3) travel to Southern Crescent Stadium to face Drew next Friday.
OUR LADY OF MERCY (6-2, 2-0) is off this week. The Bobcats host ELCA next Friday.
