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Woodruff to provide another stern test for Wildcats
Woodruff (4-0) is currently ranked number one in the state’s prep writer’s poll and features one of the South Carolina’s top quarterbacks in senior Jake Lambert. Lambert threw for 337 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 44- 20 victory over Chapman. He rushed for two touchdowns in the game. Woodruff is the latest in a steady stream of powerful high school programs who Blacksburg have played this season. Blacksburg has played against Class 3A Walhalla, Class 2A power Chesnee and a veteran Indian Land team filled with 21 seniors. “Woodruff is for real. They opened the season with wins against Greer, Clinton and Abbeville,” Blacksburg head coach Mickey Moss said. “This shows Woodruff is a pretty good football team. It’s a veteran team that has been building for awhile.” Blacksburg players got an extra week to prepare for Woodruff. The Wildcats used the additional time to get players healthy, install a few new wrinkles into their offense and spend more time focusing on their special teams play. “We have fought every battle this season. We’ve had injuries, the flu and dismissed a few players for disciplinary reasons,” Moss said. “We really like the kids we have on the team. This is a great group of kids and I wouldn’t trade them for anyone else.” Blacksburg has only five seniors playing significant roles on this year’s team. The offense has been placed in the hands of promising ninth grade quarterback Treyvon Parker. The 6’ 2’’, 155 pound signal caller is a calming influence in the huddle and continues to grow more comfortable with the offense. “Treyvon has a lot of potential,” Moss said. “He is a good student and does a lot of film study. He is going to be a great quarterback for us.” Parker and the Blacksburg offense face a Woodruff defense which gave up an average of 35 points in their first three games. Woodruff was clinging to a 9-7 lead late in the first half last week vs. Chapman before wide receiver B.J. Johnson scored twice to give the Wolverines a 23-7 halftime lead. Woodruff linebacker Skyler Pittman recovered a fumble and made a diving interception as Chapman turned the ball over on its first three possessions in the second half. Prennis Thompson had the other turnover with an interception in the third quarter. Blacksburg will have a lot of ninth and tenth graders on the field against Woodruff. Many players are on the junior varsity and varsity team to help the Wildcats deal with a lack of numbers. “We have a lot of eight quarter guys who are playing on Thursdays and Fridays. We are really working hard to build a football program,” Moss said. “We are looking forward to getting into conference play.” Moss sees the game with Woodruff as an opportunity for his players to measure themselves against one of the state’s top Class 2A programs. “I want to see how much fight our team has in them,” Moss said. WOODRUFF (4-0) at BLACKSBURG (1-3) Kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at T.A. Campbell Stadium Players to Watch: WOODRUFF: QB Jake Lambert, WR B.J. Johnson, LB Skyler Pittman. BLACKSBURG: QB Treyvon Parker, RB Chase Hames, DL Alex Campbell. The Wolverines will win if ... able to take advantage of Blacksburg's youth. The Wildcats will win if ... able to limit turnovers and find ways to get to Woodruff quarterback Jake Lambert. |
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