After slow start, Tattnall rolls past Washington-Wilkes
Figuratively speaking, Tattnall Square was slow to get off the bus Friday at Washington-Wilkes.
Two quick turnovers turned into a two-touchdown hole for the visiting Trojans in the GHSA Region 7-1A championship game. But Tattnall eventually took control of things, hitting Washington-Wilkes with a punishing ground game and running away with a 47-21 victory.
Tattnall, which secured its first GHSA region title and its first 10-0 regular season since 2008, scored 30 unanswered points in the second quarter. The Trojans finished with 416 yards of total offense, including 346 yards on the ground.
The region championship comes with a first-round bye and a second-round home game for the Trojans in the Class 1A private school playoffs. Washington-Wilkes (4-6) is on the bubble for making the Class 1A public school playoffs.
Five who mattered
Zion Blasingame: The Tattnall running back played a key role in flipping the game in the second quarter. All but 1 of his 94 rushing yards came in the first half, and his touchdown runs of 7 and 32 yards came in the final five minutes of the second quarter.
Ahmad Barron: Tattnall’s flashy senior didn’t make waves like he did in the final minutes a week earlier against Stratford, but his 98 yards on 16 carries included the Trojans’ first touchdown, a 10-yarder with 9:24 to go in the second quarter that started to turn the tide. Defensively, he had a first-quarter interception.
Christian Rodgers: The senior gave Tattnall the lead with 2:51 to go in the second quarter when he dropped Washington-Wilkes quarterback Quintavian Cullars in the end zone for a safety. Then, after Tattnall scored two touchdowns before the end of the half and added another on the opening drive of the second half, Rodgers recovered a Washington-Wilkes fumble on the ensuing kickoff, a recovery that set up a 32-yard Bryce Pruitt field goal.
Dayton Steinmeyer: The senior linebacker recovered a fumble near midfield late in the second quarter, which set up a wideout pass from Jimmy Marshall to Antoine Davis for a 48-yard touchdown and a 30-14 halftime lead.
Vasco Sanders Jr.: The Tattnall running back picked up all but one of his carries in the second half, but he had a couple of big ones. His 5-yard run gave Tattnall its first score of the second half. In the fourth quarter, he was caught at the Washington-Wilkes 3 after breaking free on an 80-yard run, but he was given the ball on the next play and ran it in for the Trojans’ final touchdown.
Turning point
After Washington-Wilkes scored on a 27-yard fumble recovery and set up another touchdown on an interception returned to the Tattnall 9, the Trojans buckled down and went on an 11-play, 66-yard drive capped by Barron’s touchdown. The drive settled things down, with the Tattnall defense forcing a three-and-out on Washington-Wilkes’ next series and setting things up for the Trojans’ late first-half run.
Observations
Blindsided out of the gate: Tattnall was caught a bit flat-footed offensively early on. Tattnall’s first offensive play, which came after Barron’s interception, turned into a 27-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by the Tigers’ Dorian Welborn after the ball came loose as the Tattnall ballcarrier’s forward progress was being stopped. Tattnall drove six plays into Washington-Wilkes territory on the next drive, but Devin Owens returned an interception to the Tattnall 9, a pick that led to a 5-yard scoring pass from Cullars to Hunter Brock.
Keeping things steady: After the quick 14-point hole, Tattnall scored on each of its next six drives. The Trojans wound up with a 12-4 advantage in first downs in the first half and 18-12 for the game.
Keeping things balanced: As Tattnall has done just about all season, the yardage load was spread out among several backs. Sanders led the way with 109 yards, with Barron picking up 98 and Blasingame adding 94.
Solid defense: Tattnall held Washington-Wilkes to 125 rushing yards and 187 total yards.
Worth mentioning
Perfect: In addition to making his only field goal attempt, Pruitt went 6-for-6 on extra-point kicks.
They said it
Tattnall head coach Chance Jones on overcoming the slow start: “We had some difficulties early with turnovers, and we just can’t have those in a situation like this. But they persevered and stayed the course. We just had to keep the football and not turn the ball over.”
Jones on the region title: “I’m proud of them. Winning the region title is a big deal. It’s a huge accomplishment. I credit the players, and I’m thankful for the coaches who came and helped me.”
Blasingame on getting things done: “We had a little adversity going on to begin with, but we were able to bounce back strong. We have a great coaching staff, nobody had their head down, and we just kept moving.”
Sanders on going 10-0 after a 4-6 year in 2015: “It feels great. It proves all the doubters wrong, all the critics saying we weren’t going to be too much. We believed in ourselves, and the coaches believed in us. We bought in, and we’re here.”
What’s next?
Tattnall is off until Nov. 18, when it hosts a second-round playoff game. Washington-Wilkes awaits Monday’s preliminary power rating release, where it is expected to be on the bubble for a playoff spot.
This story was originally published November 4, 2016 at 11:46 PM with the headline "After slow start, Tattnall rolls past Washington-Wilkes."