By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area
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No. 5 South County (7-4) at No. 1 W.T. Woodson (10-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Offensive Rank (ppg/Div. 6): South County – 14th (17.7); W.T. Woodson – 2nd (31.9)
Defensive Rank (ppg/Div. 6): South County – 3rd (15.9); W.T. Woodson – 4th (16.2)
Last Meeting: 2009 — Week 10 — W.T. Woodson beat South County, 35-0
All-Time Series: W.T. Woodson leads, 1-0
With last week’s road win over Westfield, South County accomplished two all-time firsts: The Stallions reached seven wins in a season and won a playoff game.
Show ’em what they’ve won: A rematch with the team that shelled them by 35 two weeks ago.
Woodson’s first four scoring drives started in South County territory and it led, 21-0, four seconds into the second quarter.
The second quarter has been the Cavaliers’ strength in recent weeks. They’ve outscored opponents 90-13 in that period in the last five weeks.
The Stallions, meanwhile, are more reliant on their running game than any other team in Division 6. They are 7-0 when surpassing 3.0 yards per carry, 0-4 when they are not.
That includes 65 team rushing yards on 26 carries in the Week 10 loss at Woodson.
Last week at Westfield, South County rebounded with 143 rushing yards on 29 attempts and scored 27 first-half points after scoring 23 in the previous four games combined. Twenty of those points came in the final 4 minutes, 53 seconds of the second quarter.
Only in their 35-0 win at Washington-Lee in Week 2 did the Stallions score more points in a half.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, overcame non-existent time of possession in the second half last week. Woodson beat defending regional champion Oakton, 31-16, despite running just 10 of the 60 second-half plays.
Still, thanks to a 57-yard touchdown run by junior Paul Fridley and a 65-yarder by senior James Johnson, the Cavaliers actually extended their lead after halftime.
For South County to swing the upset, its second in as many weeks, it needs to both bypass 3.0 yards per carry — no kidding — and hold Woodson senior quarterback Connor Reilly under 6.0 yards per attempt.
The Cavs are 7-0 when he posts more than that.
The Stallions held the Bulldogs to 5.17 yards per pass attempt in the quarterfinals.
South County also allowed just 59 yards after halftime, 14 in the fourth quarter.
The key for Woodson is responsibility with the ball and its efficiency when its offense is directed away from the boundary. The vast majority of its spread offense is run to the wide side of the field, so angles and timing on pitches are integral.
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
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