For three years, Hidden Valley Titans running back David Williams couldn’t crack the starting lineup, stuck behind standout performer David Turner. When Turner (now at VMI) graduated, it was finally Williams’ time to make his mark. He certainly didn’t waste his first opportunity.
In a game that was supposed to feature the highly anticipated debut of Patrick Henry head coach Brad Bradley, Williams stole the show – to the tune of 296 yards rushing and three touchdowns as the Titans walloped the Patriots 44-14 at Bogle Stadium.
It was the first victory as a head coach for Scott Weaver, who took over the program after five seasons as an assistant coach. “David is a really tough and strong kid,” Weaver said of his new star tailback. “He waited his turn, and he really came through for us.”
The first half was relatively competitive, with each team running at will against their opponent. Williams scored a pair of rushing touchdowns to give the Titans an early 13-0 lead before the Patriots answered with a long run of their own – a 72 yard scamper by running back Brandon Terry, which cut the lead to 13-6.
However, the game was broken open for good during a wild 12-minute span in the third quarter. Williams and the Titans took the opening possession of the second half and methodically marched their way down the field, scoring on a one-yard plunge by quarterback Michael Simonic to take a commanding 23-6 lead.
“We knew coming out in the second half that a good drive was critical – we wanted to control the clock and get some points out of it,” Weaver said. “To get seven points there – it was the momentum shift of the game.”
On the ensuing possession, Patriots quarterback Matt Wood was intercepted by Titans linebacker Trae Patterson, who returned the ball 35 yards for a touchdown and an insurmountable 30-6 lead.
Weaver said that the running game was the central point of their game plan against the Patriots.
“We knew we needed to run the ball effectively against them,” he said. “They’re a fast team, really athletic, and we needed to control the ball, keep their offense off the field.”
For Bradley, the loss was disappointing, but the coach did take a positive outlook.
“We have a lot of work to do here – but we knew that coming in,” he said. “You don’t build a house all at once, you do it a brick at a time. We just made too many mistakes out there, and you can’t do that against a good football team. We played OK for 24 minutes, now we have to learn how to play a full 48.”
Hidden Valley (1-0) will look to extend their winning streak when they host William Byrd Friday, while the Patriots will try to bounce back at home against the Bassett Bengals. Kickoff for both contests is set for 7:30pm.
By Matt Reeve [email protected]
