There was trust in all three phases for West’s football team Friday night.
Trust in its offense to not play it safe with a small lead late in the game.
Trust in its defense to preserve the lead while settling for field goals in the second half.
And trust in a special team’s player to corral a bouncing ball on a punt return and do his thing from there.
All that trust led to a 30-18 victory for the Rebels at rival Powell in a game that determined the Region 2-5A champion.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been waiting nine games to see it,” West coach Lamar Brown said about all three phases coming together.
“We’ve seen glimpses of it at times, and we knew we could be really good. I mean you’re up 17-0 on Anderson County and within about three minutes we were down, let up a little bit.
“But our kids have learned through a lot of adversity this year, and keep getting better.”
West (7-3, 4-0) defeated Powell (8-2, 3-1) each of the past two seasons in the Class 5A quarterfinals on its way to state championships, and last season in the regular season.
But two of those three games were one-possession games, including an overtime game, and Friday’s contest was also close until the end.
The Rebels took their first two-possession lead of the game with 3:38 remaining on a play-action pass from Parker Dubon to Troit Patterson that went for a 65-yard touchdown.
Patterson was wide open at about the Powell 45. The senior bobbled the ball initially, but once he secured it, he had no one in his way to give West a 30-18 advantage.
Brown said he thinks the call on 3rd and 8 from the West 35-yard line caught Powell off guard.
“We got backed up with a penalty, and I was thinking they would probably think we would run it and punt it. But it was a pretty safe call. They covered the flat route really well, but (Troit) beat them across the field on a drag.
“He gets the ball in the open field; he’s a scary dude.”
Earlier in the fourth, the Rebels faced a decision up 20-18 on 4th-and-7 from the Powell 15. They opted for a field goal from reliable kicker Pete Rogers, his third of the game, to take a 23-18 lead with 6:31 left.
That gave the Panthers the chance to take the lead with a touchdown, but the Rebels defense forced a three-and-out, highlighted by a perfectly timed pass breakup from Jordan Hayes on third down.
The Rebels may not have even been in position to close out the game the way they did without Antwain Burdine’s efforts on special teams.
The senior receiver/defensive back set up West at the Powell 12 in the second quarter after an electric kickoff return that showcased both his speed and elusiveness.
A few plays later, Dominic Davis caught a 5-yard touchdown from Dubon to give the Rebels a 10-9 lead with 3:21 left in the half.
The Panthers went 3-and-out on the ensuing drive thanks to a joint sack from Davis Neely and Bryce King, and Burdine was at it again.
Burdine fielded a rolling punt with Powell players nearby, which seemed risky at the time, but clearly Burdine knew what he was doing since he returned it 49 yards to the Powell 9.
On the next play, Tavion Ray carried it in to put West ahead 17-9 with 1:11 remaining before halftime.
“Antwain Burdine was really big in the first half,” Brown said.
“The punt return, the kickoff return set us up for two touchdowns. He led us in the first half with explosive plays, he’s been known for that.
I was a little bit shocked they kicked it to him (on the kickoff return) but they did.”
Dubon was 12 of 15 passing for 166 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He helped West play turnover-free football a week after the Rebels committed five in a narrow win over Halls.
“I thought Parker Dubon at quarterback managed the game really good,” Brown said.
“Made some critical, big throws to get us first downs, and I’m really proud of the way he’s grown up.”
Powell started the game strong with a 73-yard touchdown run by quarterback Deuce Rodgers on its opening drive. Rodgers was actually caught by a defender at the West 25, but he proceeded to stiff arm that defender to the ground to reach the end zone.
Rodgers’ size and power at the quarterback position made an impact for the Panthers on Friday, as he ran for 174 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns.
But Powell’s two-headed rushing attack took a blow in the second quarter when standout running back Connor Wheeler was injured and did not return.
Both teams shift focus to the start of the playoffs next week with West hosting David Crockett, and Powell, who also gets a home game as a No. 2 seed, taking on Tennessee High.
Article written by Matthew Lutey/ 5Star Preps To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc… visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code New2024 for 30% off your first year or month subscription.
