Woodland overpowers Thomas
BY JOSH HARDING World Correspondent
Saturday, December 03, 2011
12/03/11 at 6:34 AM
ENID - Woodland earned a return trip to the state championship game with a dominating defense and potent ground attack to defeat Thomas 32-7 in the Class A semifinal at R. Bruce Selby Stadium on Friday.
Running back Willie Zackery led the way for Woodland with 23 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
Zackery was joined by quarterback Patrick Bartlett and fellow running back Tracey Wilson to form a three-headed monster that simply overpowered Thomas much of the night. As a trio, they rushed for 301 yards and five TDs.
"Patrick Bartlett is a gamer and just finds ways to gain extra yards," said Woodland coach Joe Sindelar. "Willie and Tracey are both great athletes who need the ball in their hands as much as possible."
The Woodland defense dominated the line of scrimmage and won most of the secondary battles to put together a spectacular performance. They didn't allow a first down until there was less than a minute to go in the third quarter.
The defense allowed only 95 total yards and 40 of those came on a late score when the game was well out of reach. Thomas only gained 19 yards in the first half.
"Our defense always gives us a chance to win games," said Sindelar. "The guys up front control the line of scrimmage, and we feel like we have a secondary that matches up well with about anyone."
The weather conditions had an adverse effect on both teams. Sindelar said his team is prepared for all types of games.
"The field was slick and the ball was wet, so we never really got our passing game going," said Sindelar.
Woodland will play Wayne next week for a chance to repeat as state champions, which was a goal at the beginning of the season.
"Last year we were a senior-heavy team, so this year we've had to work players in and get better each week and it says a lot about the team and coaches that we're going back again this year," said Sindelar.
Thomas scored its lone touchdown when QB Tyler Mannering connected with receiver Justin Eck on an out route. Eck avoided going out of bounds and ran all the way across the field before bull-rushing the last defender into the end zone.
WOODLAND 32, THOMAS 7
Woodland 8 12 6 6 - 32
Thomas 0 0 0 7 - 7
W: Wilson 5 run (Edwards from Bartlett)
W: Wilson 6 run (pass failed)
W: Zackery 10 run (pass failed)
W: Bartlett 1 run (pass failed)
W: Zackery 6 run (run failed)
T: Eck 40 pass from Mannering (Tharp kick)
| Woodland | Thomas |
|
First Downs | 21 | 4 |
|
Rushes-Yards | 56-301 | 19-20 |
|
Passing Yards | 62 | 75 |
|
Comp-Att-Int | 3-11-3 | 5-19-2 |
|
Punts-Avg | 2-42 | 6-33 |
|
Fumbles-Lost | 4-1 | 2-2 |
|
Penalties-Yards | 7-75 | 4-30 |
