CARVER-PIKE ROAD: Big first-half plays give Wolverines region title

The G.W. Carver Wolverines defeated Pike Road in a winner-take-all battle at Cramton Bowl on Thursday. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

For the second week in a row, Pike Road couldn’t find the ignition switch to its offense, failing to score a point in the second half.

For the second week in a row, the Patriots were tagged with a disappointing region loss.

On Thursday night, it was G.W. Carver which struck quick with three big pass plays, rolling to a 22-19 halftime lead that held up over the final 24 minutes to give the Wolverines their fourth region title with the 6A Region 2 championship over the Patriots.

“We worked for it all summer -- blood, sweat and tears,” Carver senior defensive lineman Jaquavious Russaw said. “The defense stepped up tonight. We’re going to need that in the playoffs. We played great defense. The offense didn’t get a few drives to go their way, but the defense stepped up.”

Carver (8-1) will now take a week off before playing host to a team in the first round of the 6A state playoffs on Nov. 4, likely St. Paul’s Episcopal. Pike Road (5-4) will return home to play Booker T. Washington next week before playing at home in the first round of the 6A playoffs, likely against Spanish Fort.

“I give them so much credit,” Pike Road coach Ed Rigby said. “It was a great region championship game. Two teams with a bunch of great players out there who fought to the bitter end. We didn’t get moving after halftime. We’re going to have to identify what it is because we’ve made some great adjustments at halftime.”

Pike Road was held without a first down and to just 11 total yards on four second-half possessions over the first 22 minutes of the second half before finally putting together four first downs on a last-minute drive for the end zone. Kaleb Foster’s 12-yard scramble on a fourth-and-seven play was followed by a pass interference penalty against the Wolverines and two completions to Quinton Jefferson that moved the ball to the Carver 12-yard line in the final minute.

Three plays gained one yard and forced Rigby to spend his final two timeouts. A 29-yard field goal attempt by Brennan Tormey with 16 seconds left went wide left, touching off a celebration among the Wolverines.

“I came back to win it for my school,” said senior defensive lineman James Smith, who missed last year after a brief stop at IMG Academy before returning to Carver. “I wanted to do it for my school. Nobody’s won regionals in 15 years.” 

The Patriots scored on the game’s opening possession on a 12-yard run by Foster, got a safety on the next play when Marquan Jamerson was tackled in the end zone on a backward sideline-to-sideline run on the kickoff return and regained the lead on a 30-yard touchdown run down the sideline by Anthony Rogers late in the first half.

Rogers, who had 88 yards on 11 carries in the first half, finished with 97 yards on 17 carries after the Wolverines’ defense stifled him in the second half.  

“We did our assignments, played physical, made a couple of adjustments,” Russaw said.

Jamerson’s performance as a return specialist left a lot to be desired but his pass receiving skills were the difference in the game as he hauled in a 31-yard pass for a touchdown on fourth and 10 in the first quarter; outraced the Pike Road secondary for a 64-yard touchdown and a 14-12 lead early in the second quarter; and made up for falling down after a 42-yard gain on another wide-open catch with an 11-yard scoring reception four plays later with 47 seconds remaining.

 “That’s 21 touchdowns right now, the Carver record,” Gardner said. “He’s been open against everybody. He’s a special kid.”

Jamerson, who had 164 yards and three touchdowns on six receptions in the first half, didn’t catch a pass in the second half.

“We bracketed and changed our coverage a little,” Rigby said. “Coach (Bobby) Hudson, our defensive coordinator, did a great job and the kids did a great job of executing what they drew up at halftime. The defense had a great second half.”

Carver quarterback Christian Johnson, completed 7 of 11 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, but connected on just 5 of 9 passes for 75 yards in the second half as he was sacked four times by the Pike Road defense.

After Jamerson’s third touchdown, Smith lined up at Wildcat and followed Russaw’s blocking for a two-point conversion and 22-19 lead that would represent the final points in the game.

“My hat’s off to Carver and their coaching staff,” Rigby said. “Hat’s off to our kids. On Monday, we had 26 kids out with the flu, 12 starters. On Tuesday, we had 26 kids out with the flu, 12 starters. We got a couple of them back (on Wednesday). We practiced Tuesday with only one starting offensive lineman. It was football adversity. We showed up and battled tonight and will be able to build on this.”

The region championship, Carver’s first since 2014, was a drastic turnaround from last year’s 5-6 season that ended with a rout by Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa in the first round of the playoffs.

“Last year we didn’t have an offseason,” Gardner said. “I came here and it was still in COVID. Success is a process. No one can flip a switch. I don’t care what kind of athletes you have, it’s still a process of building it.”