Photo by Neal Smith
Williamstown fullback Jed Lane (24) carries the ball during a high school football game against Magnolia Friday night.
WILLIAMSTOWN — Williamstown finished up an 8-2 regular season here Friday night by running past Magnolia, 53-6, as both quarterback Maxwell Molessa and tailback Rickie Allen surpassed 1,000 yards rushing on the campaign.
Head coach Chris Beck’s Yellowjackets blocked punts on Magnolia’s opening two possession, but led just 6-0 after a quarter. WHS proceeded to score 34 points in the second quarter for a 40-0 halftime cushion. Following the break, senior Jed Lane added his second TD run, this one from 7 yards, while Rex Anderson had the final ‘Jacket six-pointer with a 36-yard gallop late in the fourth.
Marcus Barnes, who finished with game-highs of 18 rushes and 93 yards, allowed the 1-8 Blue Eagles to avoid the shutout when he raced 37 yards to paydirt with 1:35 left on a running clock in the fourth.
“Just really proud of our guys,” coach Beck said as current No. 6 WHS enters the postseason for a 22nd consecutive season. “I feel like they work hard and all the success they’ve gotten is due to hard work. Our seniors set the tone at the top with the way they go about their business and working hard.
“I’m just really proud of the fact that I think we’re getting better every week. Hopefully, we are able to get healthy, get better and go into the playoffs and put our best foot forward.”
Magnolia’s first punt of the game resulted in a Kent Wigal recovery when the ball hit one of the Blue Eagles’ own players in the back. Allen, who carried just five times for 80 stripes, put WHS ahead for good on its first play from scrimmage via a 10-yard TD run.
Wigal was there once again for the recovery after another blocked punt, but the Blue Eagles got the ball back when Colt Hesson gained 4 yards on a pass and then fumbled.
Despite converting a fake punt on fourth-and-15 from their own 40 thanks to a Barnes 20-yard run and converting a third-and-8 with a 38-yard Kaden Johnson to Damon Shimp slant pass, the visitors turned the ball over on downs.
Allen capped the ensuing drive with a 17-yard TD run and it was 13-0 with 11:11 to go in the half following Isaac Joy’s extra point.
Wigal’s 34-yard interception return for a touchdown just 61 seconds later pushed the lead to 19-0 as the extra point was blocked. Hesson ended Magnolia’s next series with an interception and Logan White then found himself all alone on what turned out to be a 55-yard scoring grab from Molessa, who rushed four times for 84 yards and hit 4 of 5 attempts for 69 yards. Magnolia had a blown coverage and White was by himself at the 30 when he caught the ball and then waltzed into the end zone.
Molessa had a 32-yard scoring scamper with 4:53 left in the stanza and the senior Lane scored his first career touchdown from 3 yards out just prior to intermission for the 40-point bulge.
WHS senior Cole Winland had an interception in the second half thanks to a tipped pass by Cooper Billingsley, who also had a second-half pick as too did ‘Jacket Lynken Joy. Shimp, who had game-highs of three receptions for 69 yards, intercepted Joy.
“They got like a quarter and a half. The JV work just as hard as anybody,” said Beck. “That is the future and they got their JV games in, but anytime you can get them in on a Friday night for as much as they got in tonight it’s a good thing. I was proud of us JV-wise how hard they competed. I thought Lynken and Rex and Cooper did a good job, and we had a bunch of interceptions.
“Cole Winland, first time he’s ever played football this year. Just came out to be with his buddies and that might’ve been the most excited I’d been the whole game. His (Lane’s) first two varsity touchdowns, pretty cool for both those guys to see all the hard work paying off. Jed, four years seeing it pay off tonight, and Cole getting the interception. I think that’s pretty cool.”
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com
