Scoop27
10-25-2014, 02:00 PM
By Anthony Maenza sports@thefacts.com | 0 comments
WEST COLUMBIA — In a tough, grind-it-out game, the Columbia Roughnecks showed what they were made of as they beat Stafford 23-16 Friday to stay unbeaten for the season.
The victory looks like it clinches Columbia (8-0, 3-0 in District 12-4A Div. I play) a spot in the playoffs with two games left in the season.
“This was a battle. I knew it was going to be a battle,” Columbia coach Randy Lynch said. “Stafford is a well-coached football team.”
There was nothing fancy in the way the Roughnecks won the game: a tough running game and defense.
The Roughnecks rushed for 314 yards on 52 carries. Running back Dakarius Bell had the bulk of that yardage as he accounted for 210 yards. While most of Bell’s yards were hard-earned, perhaps his best run came with about 45 seconds remaining in the game. Columbia faced third and 11, but Bell imposed his will on the Spartan defense to get the yardage necessary for the first down. The play allowed Columbia to run the clock out.
“He ran the ball hard,” Lynch said. “He kind of tweaked his ankle in the first half, but he came out in the second half and ran hard.”
The Columbia defense limited the Spartan offense to 225 total yards. Brian Imarenozor accounted for 166 of those yards on the ground. Columbia limited Stafford to 85 yards in the first half. They also picked up two turnovers in the first two quarters.
“We were kind of banged up, but they gutted it out and played well,” Lynch said. “This was a great win for our program.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Stafford grabbed a 3-0 lead on a 34-yard field goal off the toe of Gabriel Sanchez with 11:04 left in the second quarter.
Columbia responded in a big way. Bell broke loose on a 69-yard run down to the Stafford 7 to put the Roughnecks in scoring position. Two plays later, quarterback Jarius Kesee went in from five yards out with 9:01 left in the first half. Jacob Comer’s kick put Columbia up 7-3. Kesee’s run capped a 75-yard drive.
With 1:37 left in the half, Roughneck receiver Caylon Fletcher finished off a 51-yard drive when he caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Kesee on a third-and-15 play to help put the Roughnecks up 14-3.
Then with seven seconds left in the first half, Columbia’s Maleek Goins intercepted a Dylan Stewart pass and returned it 88 yards for the touchdown. A two-point conversion run failed, leaving Columbia up 20-3 at halftime.
Imarenozor cut into the Columbia lead when he scored on a 37-yard run with 9:36 left in the third quarter. The kick failed, leaving Columbia with a 20-9 advantage.
Columbia got some of those points back with 3:49 left in the third quarter when Comer kicked a 40-yard field goal to put Columbia up by 14.
Stafford started the fourth quarter with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Stewart to Daniel Ponce with 11:50 left in the game. The extra-point kick from John Cortes left Stafford down by seven.
Stafford got the ball back with 6:25 left after holding on a fourth and short at their own 15. The Spartans drove as far as the Columbia 45 and had fourth and short with 4:20 left, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty forced the Spartans to punt.
On Columbia’s final possession, Bell picked up three first downs, including one on fourth and 1 at the Stafford 50 with 2:35 left in the game.
WEST COLUMBIA — In a tough, grind-it-out game, the Columbia Roughnecks showed what they were made of as they beat Stafford 23-16 Friday to stay unbeaten for the season.
The victory looks like it clinches Columbia (8-0, 3-0 in District 12-4A Div. I play) a spot in the playoffs with two games left in the season.
“This was a battle. I knew it was going to be a battle,” Columbia coach Randy Lynch said. “Stafford is a well-coached football team.”
There was nothing fancy in the way the Roughnecks won the game: a tough running game and defense.
The Roughnecks rushed for 314 yards on 52 carries. Running back Dakarius Bell had the bulk of that yardage as he accounted for 210 yards. While most of Bell’s yards were hard-earned, perhaps his best run came with about 45 seconds remaining in the game. Columbia faced third and 11, but Bell imposed his will on the Spartan defense to get the yardage necessary for the first down. The play allowed Columbia to run the clock out.
“He ran the ball hard,” Lynch said. “He kind of tweaked his ankle in the first half, but he came out in the second half and ran hard.”
The Columbia defense limited the Spartan offense to 225 total yards. Brian Imarenozor accounted for 166 of those yards on the ground. Columbia limited Stafford to 85 yards in the first half. They also picked up two turnovers in the first two quarters.
“We were kind of banged up, but they gutted it out and played well,” Lynch said. “This was a great win for our program.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Stafford grabbed a 3-0 lead on a 34-yard field goal off the toe of Gabriel Sanchez with 11:04 left in the second quarter.
Columbia responded in a big way. Bell broke loose on a 69-yard run down to the Stafford 7 to put the Roughnecks in scoring position. Two plays later, quarterback Jarius Kesee went in from five yards out with 9:01 left in the first half. Jacob Comer’s kick put Columbia up 7-3. Kesee’s run capped a 75-yard drive.
With 1:37 left in the half, Roughneck receiver Caylon Fletcher finished off a 51-yard drive when he caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Kesee on a third-and-15 play to help put the Roughnecks up 14-3.
Then with seven seconds left in the first half, Columbia’s Maleek Goins intercepted a Dylan Stewart pass and returned it 88 yards for the touchdown. A two-point conversion run failed, leaving Columbia up 20-3 at halftime.
Imarenozor cut into the Columbia lead when he scored on a 37-yard run with 9:36 left in the third quarter. The kick failed, leaving Columbia with a 20-9 advantage.
Columbia got some of those points back with 3:49 left in the third quarter when Comer kicked a 40-yard field goal to put Columbia up by 14.
Stafford started the fourth quarter with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Stewart to Daniel Ponce with 11:50 left in the game. The extra-point kick from John Cortes left Stafford down by seven.
Stafford got the ball back with 6:25 left after holding on a fourth and short at their own 15. The Spartans drove as far as the Columbia 45 and had fourth and short with 4:20 left, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty forced the Spartans to punt.
On Columbia’s final possession, Bell picked up three first downs, including one on fourth and 1 at the Stafford 50 with 2:35 left in the game.