Tornado too strong for Hurricane
Richlands (49) vs. Marion (0)
Written: Oct 08, 2011
By MIKE DAVIS
for the Daily Telegraph
MARION, Va. — Richlands went into the middle of the storm Friday night against the Scarlet Hurricane for their second road trip in as many weeks.
The Blues rolled with 21 points in each of the first two quarters and seven more in the third on their way to calm Marion, 49-0 and improve to 7-0 on the season and win their first Southwest District game of the campaign.
Richlands finished the night with 358 total yards, led by Devon Johnson and Reece Strong who combined for 286 yards in the first half.
Johnson rushed the ball 15 times for 166 three touchdowns yards and caught two passes for 19 yards and a touchdown. Strong used seven different receivers against the ‘Canes completing 11-of-15 passes for 120 yards with no interceptions and two touchdowns.
D.J. Flack led the Tornado receiving corps with three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown and Eric Johnson rushed seven times for 61 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively Johnson intercepted a Marshall Wagner pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown for one of five touchdowns.
“I wasn’t sure if we were ready or not (because) we were so quiet in warm-ups,” Richlands head coach Greg Mance said. “I was really proud of the way we played. Offensively we got it done and defensively we didn’t allow Marion a first down in their first four or five series.
“Reece made good decisions, he threw the ball well, and D.J. Flack made some good catches and Devon Johnson looked spectacular along with Colton Staten and Eric Johnson. We spread the ball around and I thought we played well for game seven.”
The Tornado defense whipped the Hurricane into submission early and stopped Marion three-and-out on their first possession. A short punt gave the Blues the ball near midfield.
Strong brought the Richlands offense to the line and found Sam Lawson for a 6-yard completion, then handed the ball to Eric Johnson for a pair of runs for 15 yards and a first down at the Marion 34-yard line.
Devon Johnson’s first touch went for 15 yards inside the Marion 19-yard line before a Hurricane penalty pushed the line of scrimmage to the 14. Johnson took the ball around the left end, barreling his way through the grasp of a desperate Marion defense for his first score of the night from 14 yards out. Strong kicked his first of seven extra points and the rout was in gear.
Marion got the ball back at their own 20-yard line following the Tornado kickoff, however, an aggressive Blues defense pressured Wagner into a hurried throw. Devon Johnson was waiting on the ball which hit him square in the numbers for the interception return from the 20-yard line.
Richlands scored once more before the end of the first quarter when their third possession of the night took five plays and 42 yards to culminate. Strong hit Flack on a 3-yard pass, then, Devon Johnson had runs of 9 and 13 yards pushing the ball to the ‘Canes 33-yard line.
Strong found Josh Compton on a 13 yard out pattern before Marion pushed him out of bounds at the 19-yard line. Devon Johnson scored on a 19-yard rumble putting the Tornado ahead, 21-0.
Richlands scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, two by air and one by rushing. Strong hit Flack on a 49-yard catch and run and Devon Johnson on a 4-yard floater. Then, Johnson scored on a 7-yard run just before the opening half came to a close.
Eric Johnson scored the Blues only touchdown of the second half when he capped the Blues opening drive in the third quarter on a 6-yard run.
The Tornado defense kept the Hurricane at bay for the night allowing the home team just 78 yards in total offense and six first downs.
Richlands plays on the road this week when they play their second SWD game of the season when they take on the Carroll County Cavaliers.
“We typically don’t play well at Carroll County,” Mance said. “We have to keep getting better each week and clean up the penalties and take care of the football and we have to have a good week of practice.”
at Hurricane Stadium
Richlands..............................21 21 7 0 — 49
Marion......................................0 0 0 0 — 0
Scoring summary
First quarter
R – Johnson 14-yard run (Strong kick)
R – Johnson 20-yard interception return (Strong kick)
R – Johnson 19-yard run (Strong kick)
Second Quarter
R – Flack 49-yard pass from Strong (Strong kick)
R – Johnson 4-yard pass from Strong (Strong kick)
R – Johnson 7-yard run (Strong kick)
Third quarter
R – Eric Johnson 6-yard run (Strong kick)
|