By By Ryan Satcher / staff writer
Sept. 29, 2002
The Wayne Academy Jaguars and Winston Academy Patriots battled in Saturday night prep football action and the host Jaguars used strong defense and a few big plays to take an 18-15 homecoming win.
The win moves Wayne to 4-2 on the season and 3-0 in district play. The Jaguars will host Heidelberg Academy in a huge district matchup on Friday.
The Jaguars held the Patriots to just seven total yards in the first half and Winston was unable to get a first down in the half. The Winston defense also was strong in the first half, however.
Wayne took over the ball on the Winston 46 on an interception by Garet James, but the Patriots force the Jaguars to turn the ball over on downs.
An interception by Patton Stanley gave Wayne the ball at the Winston territory, but again the Patriots stepped up to stop the Jaguars on a fourth down play to get the ball back.
Wayne finally was able to put points on the board with 2:02 left in the half. James found Shawn Dearmon with a 59-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was no good and Wayne led 6-0 at the half.
The Jaguars got another big play on the second play of the second half. Matt Brown took the ball from a Winston ball carrier and returned the fumble 36 yards for a touchdown. The conversion attempt failed and the Jaguars led 12-0.
Winston came back to answer on the second play of the next possession. Lenny Boatner, who finished the game with 116 yards, broke loose on a 70-yard touchdown run with 10:07 left in the third. Jay McMillan's PAT was good and the Wayne lead was cut to 12-7.
Winston took over the ball in Wayne territory in the third quarter on a fumble recovery and drove to the seven-yard line. The Jaguar defense held strong and the Patriots missed a field goal.
The Patriots got another opportunity when Wayne again fumbled the ball in its own territory. Winston took over at the 36-yard line and moved to the Jaguar 19 before a penalty and the Wayne defense forced the Patriots to turn the ball over on downs.
The Jaguars opened the fourth quarter with a big play to expand the lead. Stanley, who ran for a game high 136 yards, broke loose on the first play of the quarter and ran 56 yards for the touchdown to give Wayne an 18-7 lead.
The Patriots put together a drive in the final minutes to cut into the lead. Patrick Peterson hit Joe Buck Peterson with passes of 33 and 20 yards to move Winston down the field. The Patriots finished the drive with 56 seconds left when Patrick Peterson hit Dusty Warner with a six-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion from Boatner to Taylor Paschal was good and Winston trailed 18-15.
Kyle Davis fell on the onside kick and the Winston comeback fell short as Wayne ran the clock out for an 18-15 win.
The Patriots drop to 2-4 on the season and 1-2 in the district. Winston will travel to play Kemper Academy in another district game Friday.