Patriots set school record in playoff victory

By Jacob Renie
Sandy Creek Class of 2013

Sandy Creek kept Eastside scoreless last Friday in their opening playoff game. The Patriots scored an astounding 55 points in a record breaking offensive performance.

This brings back memories of last year’s game between these two teams. Different games, but same result. Last year the Patriots rallied behind the then junior Shaquille Wiggins who caught an interception in the final minutes of the game and then caught the game winning touchdown as time wound down. This year as they met again, the Eagles were obviously outmatched by the Patriots who had a total of 670 yards on offense, a school record.

“I thought the game went real good,” said head coach Chip Walker. “Anytime you shut a team down in the playoffs is quite good.”

Quarterback Cole Garvin went 14-17 with 192 yards and two touchdowns. Demarre Kitt again proved to be the main target as he caught seven receptions for 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The two juniors connected in a spectacular play at the start of the second quarter when Garvin tossed a beautiful 47-yard pass that Kitt caught as he dove in the end zone. The only mar on the passing attack was Garvin’s interception in the second quarter that could have been returned all the way to the house if not for linemen Alan Knott and Ryan Warrior’s tackle to bring down the defensive back.

On the flip side, the Patriots accelerated through the defense on the ground. Delvin Weems ran 216 yards on 12 carries and had a pair of touchdowns. Additionally Eric Swinney had 147 yards on 14 attempts and another pair of touchdowns. Maceo Brown and Chichi Vazquez each also had a touchdown; Brown’s was a 68-yard run. The offensive line opened up big holes throughout the night as the Patriots rushed a record 478 yards.

The Patriots drove strongly on their opening drive until Swinney fumbled on Eastside’s 30-yard line. The defense promptly forced a punt and the Patriots started on their own 3. Weems came in to replace Swinney for a couple of downs and led off with a big 47-yard rush to the 50-yard line. The rest of the game followed suit as Weems and Swinney ran all over the Eagle’s defense and Kitt and Garvin found the holes in the backfield.

The defense was again strong for the third game in a row. They’ve only allowed one touchdown in the last three games; this is their second shutout in a row. Juniors Wesley Sullivan and Khari Lane led a heavy hitting Patriots team against Eastside and seniors Corey Griffin and Shaquille Wiggins played a tight defensive backfield. In addition the Patriots forced and recovered a pair of fumbles. All-in-all the defense didn’t allow more than 167 yards and the Eagles never once saw the red zone.

Despite the big win, you can bet the Patriots won’t become complacent. No they plan to practice all week, even on Thanksgiving Day. “Next week we need to continue to execute and play hard,” said Walker. “If we do that then we’ll be successful.”