Feeling green

After battling the flu bug all week, the Wilson Memorial Green Hornets traveled to Waynesboro on Friday night to take on another opponent in the form of the ever-improving Little Giants on Homecoming weekend.

The Hornets proved they were up to both challenges as a patch-worked lineup dominated the line of scrimmage in a game that saw Wilson run for over 320 yards on the ground and top the Little Giants 34-7. The win was the first Southern Valley District victory for the Green Hornets.

“We had different people out every day this week, including four starters that I didn’t see all week and made things tough for us on both sides of the ball tonight,” Wilson coach Derek McDaniel said. “We had to play everyone tonight, and the kids really stepped up.”

After the teams traded fumbles to start the game, Wilson quarterback Jake Bailey hit tight end Weston Cash down the right sideline for a 28-yard touchdown pass to put Wilson up 7-0 after the extra point with 1:50 to go in the first quarter.

Wilson then forced a Waynesboro punt and after the teams again traded fumbles, Bailey took the Hornets on a seven play drive that ended when he found the end zone from six yards out. Grant Sauer made good on the point after pushing the Wilson lead to 14-0.

The Little Giants responded with a scoring drive of their own going 53 yards in eight plays that concluded when Kevin Jackson scored from 10 yards out. The extra point cut the Wilson lead to 14-7 with just under three minutes to play in the half.

That three minutes was enough time for Wilson to put together another scoring-drive, this one belonged to sophomore Connery Swift who broke off a fifteen yard run to get the drive going and then caught two passes for 34 yards, the last of which a four-yard touchdown pass from Bailey that put Wilson ahead 21-7 going into the half.

The second half started the way the first half ended as Swift broke off a 49-yard run to move the Hornets into Waynesboro territory and he would later score again this time on a run from four yards out. The Little Giants blocked the extra point but Swift and the Hornet offensive line had effectively sealed their fate on this night, going up 27-7.

“You have to give all the credit to Wilson, they just lined up and whipped us all night long,” Waynesboro coach Steve Isaacs said. “Derek had his kids ready and they played really hard all night.”

A 25-yard touchdown run by Wilson running back Malik Rucks would account for the final score of night. Swift ran 17 times for 183 yards while Rucks carried 12 times for 81 yards to lead the Hornets.