bassett/carroll story (mville bulletin)

[mhsalum 31]

Bassett 36, Carroll County 19

By MATT CLUTTER

Bulletin Sports Editor

 

 

Freshman Rashawn Woods' first pass attempt came on a busted play. He found Brandon Johnson in the flat for an 8-yard completion.

 

Woods' first touchdown run came on a busted play, as well. From 9 yards out, he turned to hand off the ball and no one was there. He scampered around the corner for the score.

 

Not bad for a 14 year old.

 

"Just tuck it and run," Woods said of the the two plays. "I was just trying to buy some time. I can't give enough credit to the offensive line. They saved my tail."

 

In addition to a superb debut from Woods and typical solid defensive play, Bassett began its season on the right note, routing visiting Carroll County 36-19 on Friday at Ed Bassett Stadium.

 

That defense scored twice in the span of about 57 seconds near the end of the first half thanks to an 83-yard interception return from Marcous Muse and a 33-yard fumble return from Eryn Covington. That series of events put the Bengals (1-0) up 24-13, a lead they didn't soon relinquish.

 

The Muse interception, in particular, seemed to deflate a Cavaliers team that had no problem running the ball in the early going. On its first possession, Carroll County strung together a 12-play, 61-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown from Willie Yates. The Cavaliers never passed on that initial drive, which was highlighted by runs of 12 and 23 yards from Joel Armentrout.

 

The Carroll County drive ate up nearly half of the first quarter, making even longer the wait for Woods who stood by in nervous anticipation for his varsity debut.

 

"I was real nervous when I came out and saw all the people," Woods said after the game. "But once I got in and got my blood flowing, I was OK."

 

He got that blood flowing in a hurry, too.

 

After the completion to Johnson on the Bengals' opening drive, Woods found him again for a 51-yard completion two plays later, and the Bengals later settled on a Jordan Tilley 27-yard field goal.

 

Carroll County fumbled on its next drive, before Woods found pay dirt on his second busted play to put the Bengals up 10-6.

 

But the Cavaliers countered with a nice 11-play, 67-yard drive that ended with Andy Singleton finding the endzone. After Muse and Covington scored for the defense, the Bengals went to the locker room nursing a 24-13 lead.

 

Behind its massive offensive line, the Bengals put up another score just 1:26 into the second half when Martin Scales raced through the defense for a 42-yard score.

 

Muse scored again in the third quarter, this time from the offensive side of the ball. He jetted to the outside from 17 yards out which put the Bengals up 36-13. Yates plunged in from 3 yards out later in the fourth, but it was too little too late for the Cavaliers.

 

"The first win is always a big one," said Bassett head coach Jay Gilbert. "It'll be nice to go into the Liberty game (this week) with some confidence. We really needed this one."

 

The win was also sweet salvation for Woods, who now has the jitters of a first game behind him. Not only that, he's got the confidence of his team now to take on a tough Liberty team this Friday.

 

"It's huge for everybody," said Gilbert. "It lets everybody else know that we can win with somebody young, and it's good for him because it gives him some confidence."

 

Though only 14, Woods showed maturation beyond his years in Friday's win. With the game still tight early on and the Bengals prepping for a fourth down conversion, Woods gave his teammates this in the huddle: "Alright, all eyes on me!"

 

"He showed some great leadership," Gilbert said.

 

But unquestionably, Muse stole the show after his 83-yard interception return for a touchdown. It turned the tide of the game, one that seemed to flow in the Cavaliers favor early on. Coupled with Covington's fumble recovery for a touchdown, Muse and the Bengal defense took control of the game, especially important with a freshman quarterback under center.

 

"It turned the game around, really," Muse said of the Bengals' defensive stand.

 

That helped Woods find his comfort zone, one which he settled into nicely, thanks to a game plan altered for his height. Gilbert stuck mostly to sprint-outs from the shotgun for the 5-foot-8 Woods. And it worked well, as he started out the night completing his first four passes. He finished the night going 5-for-10 for 110 yards and no interceptions.

 

"He's going to be a special player before he leaves," Gilbert said of Woods. "He's just a freshman, but you wouldn't know that on the field."

 

It was a real boost for a Bengal team that entered their opener without starting quarterback Brandon Johnson who broke his thumb in the preseason camp. That forced a lot of different people to step up, according to Gilbert.

 

"Muse, he's a senior and a leader on this team," Gilbert said. "He performed when the game was on the line. We had a lot of people who stepped up with Brandon's injury."

 

In the end, the Bengals capitalized on some fatal errors on Carroll County's part.

 

"We had guys in the right spot at the right time," Gilbert said. "If that doesn't happen, it's a close ballgame."

 

Bassett 36

Carroll County 19

Carroll County 6 7 0 6 -- 19

Bassett 3 21 12 0 -- 36

First quarter

C--Yates 2 run (kick failed)

B--Tilley 27 FG

Second quarter

B--R. Woods 9 run (Tilley kick)

C--Singleton 2 run (Ayers kick)

B--Muse 82 interception return (Tilley kick)

B--Covington 17 fumble return (Tilley kick)

Third quarter

B--Scales 42 run (kick failed)

B--Muse 17 run (run failed)

Fourth quarter

C--Yates 3 run (pass failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATS

RUSHING--Carroll County: Yates 21-114-2TD; Armentrout 7-56; Barr 7-34; Singleton 10-27-TD; Turner 4-10. Bassett: Scales 5-95-TD; Muse 8-58; J. Woods 4-32; R. Woods 5-22-TD; Brown 2-8; McCall 1-2; Dillon 1-2.

PASSING--Carroll County: Lawson 4-16-59-0-2. Bassett: R. Woods 5-10-110-0-0.

RECEIVING--Carroll County: Yates 2-12; Lamb 2-39; Singleton 1-8. Bassett: B. Johnson 4-85; Muse 1-25.