After about two and a half hours of football, Woodward Academy posted a 42-14 victory over Marist in the Class AAAA quarterfinals.
But to Woodward senior offensive lineman Myles Ferrell, the outcome of the game had been decided well before the 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
“We wanted it more than them, and you can print that,” Ferrell said after he and his mates up front were the catalysts for another impressive offensive effort by Woodward (13-0) – including four touchdown runs by senior Elijah Holyfield – which moves now to the semifinals for the second year in a row.
Last season, Woodward lost in the semis, 28-21, to St. Pius, which went on to get crushed in the finals by Buford, 55-10. Woodward’s semifinal opponent this season? Buford, a 49-7 winner over Thomson Friday night. The Wolves (12-1), the defending AAAA champions, have won seven state titles in the last eight seasons in three different classifications – AA, AAA and AAAA.
“Being in the semifinals last season, we’ve been the hunted for the last two years,” Woodward head coach John Hunt said. “Now we’re going to have to turn into the hunters again. Buford is the class of the state. Just a tremendous program. We’re going to hope to keep it close and be there right with them in the end.”
The quarterfinal contest against Marist (10-3) was anything but close. Marist did move the ball effectively at times, but shot itself in the foot on offense with three fumbles, two of which came deep in Woodward territory.
The first came on Marist’s first possession of the second half. Already trailing 22-7, Marist put together an impressive drive, mixing runs by quarterback Jack Dinges and halfbacks Spencer Taylor and Cameron Pearson, and moved the ball from its 14 yard line to the Woodward 22. But Dinges, who appeared to be headed for a big run on a mid-line option keeper, was stripped by Woodward senior linebacker Max Richardson and junior safety J.R. Pace recovered
Just five plays into the ensuing drive, Holyfield showed that he has fully recovered from the foot injury that forced him to miss almost half the season. At the Marist 46 yard line, Holyfield took a handoff and started up the middle, but dipped to his left just before reaching the line of scrimmage. He found a crease there, skipped through it, and then darted back right across the field and outran a Marist defender into the end zone.
“I definitely could feel it during pregame warm ups,” Holyfield said. “I felt as good as I’ve felt since the beginning of the season, so I thought it would be a good night.”
It was for the senior all-state, UGA commit, who ran for nearly 200 yards on the night. His fourth and final touchdown – Holyfield scored on runs of one and 16 yards in the first half – came late in the third quarter on a one-yard dive.
But earlier in the drive, which started after Marist fumbled inside the Woodward five yard line, Holyfield again showed that his signature burst is back when he darted through a crease at the line of scrimmage, stepped out of an arm tackle, jump cut to his right and raced down the far sideline for a 51-yard gain.
“I was really proud of the way our line hung in there tonight, especially since we were without one of our starters, Knox Hogan, because of an injury,” Hunt said. “But [senior] Coston Barber, stepped in and played both ways for us on the offensive and defensive lines. Very proud of him. But sometimes, all you have to do is give it to Elijah, and he’s just so good.”
As for next week, Ferrell said he’s ready for another physical challenge. He remembers the 40-7 beat down Buford laid on Woodward when he was a sophomore in the second round of the Class AAA playoffs. The Wolves went on to capture the title.
“I want to prove that we can play with them,” Ferrell said. “We knew we were the better team tonight. I want to prove that we’re the best.”
Marist 0 7 0 7 14
Woodward Academy 12 10 14 7 42
W – Elijah Holyfield 1 run (kick failed)
W – Elijah Holyfield 16 run (kick blocked)
M – Spencer Taylor 10 run (Abner Perez kick)
W – Jacob Robertson 40 pass from Ryan Glover (Cole Schreiner kick)
W – Schreiner 19 fg
W – Holyfield 46 run (Schreiner kick)
W – Holyfield 1 run (run failed)
W – Josh Johnson 32 pass from Glover (Thomas Rodriguez kick)
M – Connor Hale 37 pass from Jack Dinges (Parker Middleton kick)
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