Eastern Wayne defense faces Rampants' high-octane offense

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 17, 2014 1:48 PM

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Bubba Williams would certainly like to know who organized this schedule.

Eastern Wayne, for the third time in a four-week stretch, meets an unbeaten team on the football field. This time, the Warriors play host to No. 9-ranked J.H. Rose at Little Big Horn today.

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

"I don't know who set up our schedule, but they really didn't help us out a lot," Williams said. "It's been rough."

Indeed.

The Warriors handed South Central their first loss in the Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference opener for both teams.

The following week, Eastern Wayne suffered its first defeat of the season against No. 1-ranked New Bern. It was a four-point game at halftime after Cameron Dove converted a 27-yard field goal with no time on the clock.

Williams' team has had two weeks to prepare for the Rampants and heal a few bumps and bruises from its brutal start in conference play. He compares Rose (8-0 overall, 3-0 ECC) to New Bern, but admits there are more weapons to neutralize.

Particularly senior quarterback Copeland Spell and junior wide receiver Cornell Powell, who currently has Division I schools from the "Power 5" schools salivating over the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder. Spell directs a diverse, explosive offense that averages 515.4 yards and 48 points a game.

Spell has eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark passing and has tossed 25 touchdowns, mainly to Powell.

"Powell) can score any time he can catch the ball, their running back is talented, the quarterback can do a little bit and they've got a good offensive line," Williams said. "You have to defend the receiver, but not thin yourself out where you don't cover the running back. You have to play sound defense and run to the ball."

While the defensive scheme is opposite that of New Bern, Williams also wants to see his team rediscover the offensive mindset it developed during the first four weeks of regular-season play. The Warriors (5-1, 1-1) limited their mistakes, moved the chains consistently and didn't commit costly penalties that stalled drives.

Williams and his staff have used their second bye week on fine-tuning the fundamentals, tackling, blocking and getting off the ball better and stronger.

Junior quarterback KK Best has accounted for 1,297 yards of total offense and 13 touchdowns this season. Backfield mate Larry Newsome Jr. has compiled 303 yards and provided three touchdowns.

Best's primary receivers have been Malik Richards, Deshawn Boudy and DayDay Pridgen. The trio has combined to haul in 42 passes for 821 yards and six touchdowns.

The Warriors' offense will go against a Rampants' defense that has forced 22 turnovers (17 interceptions), recorded eight quarterback sacks and 55 tackles for loss. Rose allows 17 points a game and has two shutouts.

"I'd like to see us score, whether it's a big play or small play," Williams said. "I'd like to see us keep the defense off of the field longer than we did against New Bern. If we control the clock and still score, I'm OK with that."

Rose leads the all-time series 15-0.