–Asheville overwhelms W-S Carver to advance to semi-finals
25 November 2007Special from the Winston-Salem Journal
By Craig T Greenlee
WINSTON-SALEM - November 23, 2007 - Carver’s Yellowjackets got a taste of their own medicine last night, and it wasn’t easy to swallow. Carver is known for pounding opponents to powder with its brutish running game. But this time, the tables were turned. Visiting Asheville capitalized on big plays in the first half, then cruised to a surprisingly one-sided 43-20 victory in the quarterfinals of the Class 3-A playoffs at Lash Stadium.
The Cougars finished with 374 rushing yards as Rahkeem Morgan and the Ray brothers - Greg and Darion - took turns breaking down the Jackets’ defense.
Morgan, who has a scholarship offer from Marshall, ran for 131 yards and two scores and also threw a touchdown pass. Greg Ray finished with 99 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and Darion Ray had a scoring reception and ran for a score.
The win put Asheville in next week’s semifinal round against North Gaston. Carver, the No. 1 seed in the West, finished 12-2.
“That quarterback was the key,” Coach Keith Wilkes of Carver said. “He broke some (long runs) on us and made a big difference. Tonight, they were simply the better team. Physically, they did what they wanted to, especially in the second half.”
Asheville (11-2) seized control from the opening kickoff. With Antonio Carson leading the way, the Cougars defense kept the Yellowjackets’ offense in check for most of the first half. In the meantime, Greg Ray had a 44-yard touchdown run, and Darion Ray scored from 20 yards out and caught a 63-yard scoring pass from Morgan to put the Cougars up 22-0 with nine minutes left in the second quarter.
Carver finally got on the board late in quarter when Dequan Holder bulled over tacklers on a 5-yard touchdown run. Asheville led 22-6 at the half.
“We hadn’t been behind (by that big a margin) like that all year,” Wilkes said. “That makes a difference in the plays you call and how you plan to attack.”
During halftime, the Jackets learned that they would have to play the rest of the game without their top rusher Bryce Sherman (1,267 yards and 16 touchdowns). He suffered an ankle injury with 4:29 to go in the second quarter and never returned. Before the injury, he had 34 yards on nine carries.
“We played very well defensively and were able to set the tone early,” Coach Danny Wilkins of Asheville said. “At the start of the year, I didn’t think we were as good as we needed to be on defense. But these guys have continued to grow and mature during the course of the season.”
Carver (270 rushing yards) managed to cut the deficit to 22-12 early in the third quarter when Holder scored his second touchdown on a short run. With Sherman sidelined, Holder became the workhorse, and he responded nicely with a game-high 154 rushing yards on 25 carries.
Any hopes of a Carver comeback evaporated on Asheville’s next offensive possession. The Cougars drove 74 yards in six plays and regained momentum on Morgan’s dazzling 29-yard touchdown run to extend their lead to 17.
“We got a little nervous after Carver scored in the third quarter,” Wilkins said. “We needed to get the ‘mo’ (momentum) back. We didn’t want it to swing back the other way. Our kids found a way to regroup and take control. They responded with exactly what we needed at the time.”
Even though the year didn’t end the way Wilkes had hoped, he has a sense of satisfaction about the season.
“Getting to the big one (state championship game) is so hard to do,” Wilkes said. “We’ve been blessed to win state titles in the past, but not lately. Hopefully, we can get back there one more time before it’s time for me to retire.
“We’ll just go back to the drawing board. This team was picked to finish fifth in our conference (the Piedmont Triad 3-A), and we ended up winning the conference and going 12-2. Right now, it’s a letdown. But when we reflect on this in a few days, we’ll come to realize that we still had a good year.”
It’s getting to be common place for Asheville to be in the semi-finals. With their 43-20 win over Carver, this is the fifth time in the last six years that the Cougars have been in the semi-finals, winning the State Championship two years ago. They missed out last year, losing to Concord in the second round, 21-13.
Next week’s game pits two lower seeds who won this week. #4 Asheville now has a home game next Friday night, hosting #6 North Gaston, who defeated #2 Anson County, 28-21.
Asheville 15 7 7 14 - 43
Carver 0 6 6 8 - 20
A - G. Ray 44 run (Turchi kick)
A - D. Ray 20 run (Morgan run)
A - D. Ray 63 pass from Morgan (Turchi kick)
C - Holder 5 run (kick failed)
C - Holder 4 run (run failed)
A - Morgan 29 run (Turchi kick)
A - G. Ray 5 run (Turchi kick)
A - Morgan 66 run (Turchi kick)
C - Faulk 1 run (Holder run)
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