Southwest defense takes down Northeast

Southwest head coach Joseph Dupree and Northeast head coach Ashley Harden both considered Friday night’s game a must-win if their teams are going to make any noise in GHSA Region 3-2A.

The two teams battled for four quarters but in the end, the Southwest defense was just too much for Northeast as the Patriots held Northeast to just 95 yards of total offense and won 18-7.

Southwest improves to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the region, while Northeast falls to 3-3 and 0-2.

Four who mattered

Jordan Slocum: The junior quarterback for Southwest wasn’t perfect but managed to throw for 149 yards and a touchdown and ran for another 48 yards to key the offense.

JaQuavious Jones: The Southwest running back was quiet in the first half but ran for 40 yards in the second half and broke the game open with a 24-yard touchdown scamper late in the third quarter.

JaQuez Pennimon: The Southwest sophomore picked up a Northeast fumble and ran 66 yards for the first score of the game and also had 38 yards receiving.

Roderick Smith: The defensive lineman for Northeast provided the only points for his team when he intercepted a Slocum throwaway and returned it 10 yards for a score.

Turning point

Northeast trailed 12-7 at the half but could not get anything going in the second half. Southwest finally put together a drive behind the passing of Slocum and the running of Javaris Smith and Jones. After the Patriots made it a two-score game, Northeast was forced to throw the ball, which led to constant pressure on Raiders quarterback Nolan Ussery, who completed only 3-of-13 passes.

Observation

Defense wins games: The Southwest defense had a great performance with linebacker Randy Green leading the way. Northeast had opportunities in the first half and was on Southwest’s side of the field four times in the first half, but the Raiders could not put any points on the board on offense.

They said it

Dupree on leading by only five points at the half: “I was disappointed in the performance on the offensive side of the ball for sure. We have got to do a much better job of passing catching running and blocking, but all we can do is get back to work and try to get better.”

Dupree on the defensive performance: “They have been strong all year, and Randy Green is the leader. They battled the entire game and played a huge part in getting us this win. We believe that defense wins championships.”

Dupree on the rivalry with Northeast and the importance of a region win: “Northeast is always going to play us tough, and this game was proof of that. We had two teams that were desperate for a region win, and although it wasn’t pretty, we will take it.”

What’s next?

Southwest travels to Dublin on Friday, while Northeast hosts Dublin on Oct. 20

This story was originally published October 7, 2017 at 12:07 AM with the headline "Southwest defense takes down Northeast."