Joey Guest – Special to the Weakley County Press
Posted: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 5:00 pm
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DeMarcus Williams and Chevy Taylor combined for 216 yards and three rushing TDs as the Chargers of Westview won their sixth straight game after an 0-4 start to earn a wildcard berth in the playoffs.
“At the time we were 0-4, everybody was just concentrating on getting a win, and any thoughts of playoffs had gone out the window,” Westview head coach Don Coady said after the game. “But, we played our way back in contention for a playoff spot, which we got tonight, and we’re happy with the way we turned our season around.”
Westview jumped out to an 18-6 lead by the end of the opening stanza, and then built its advantage to 40-13 at halftime and never looked back.
Westview out-gained Covington in total offense 465-200 to move its record to 6-4 overall and 5-1 in District 13-AA play.
Friday, the Chargers, a No. 7 seed in the TSSAA playoff bracket, will visit No. 2-seeded Manassas (9-1, 4-0 District 15-AA) in first-round playoff action. The game will be played at the Booker T. Washington field in Memphis with kickoff set for 7 on Friday night.
After the game, Coady was quick to praise the performance of his offensive line and running backs for an impressive outing, as well as adding kudos to his pass catchers and quarterback Spencer, who is the first 1,000-yard passer for Westview since Paul Wilson in 2001.
“Tanner had another good night throwing the ball around, and the receivers made some good catches. Offensively, we probably played one of our better games this season.”
Westview came charging out of the gate with 96 yards rushing and a touchdown by Williams — plus two TD runs by Spencer in the first quarter — to build an 18-6 advantage. But the host Chargers really set the tone with their first possession of the second quarter when, backed up inside their own 10-yard line, they reeled off six straight first downs and 91 yards, capped by Abraham Haddad’s 12-yard run to paydirt. Spencer passed to Matt Melton for the two-point conversion and a 26-6 lead at 7:55 before halftime.
Big plays dominated the remainder of the first half. Covington cut its deficit to 26-13 when Cordera Olden erupted for a 73-yard TD jaunt, followed by a successful PAT kick by Bishop Davis at 5:09.
Two snaps later, Spencer hit Mark Tucker on a quick slant to the left, and the receiver did the rest, dodging a defender and sprinting 54 yards for the score and a 33-13 lead.
A three-and-out defensive stand by Westview and a short punt returned the ball to the hosts with first down at the CHS 46. And Westview wasted little time, scoring on its second straight two-play drive when Taylor exploded up the middle, ran over the would-be tackler and rumbled 39 yards to the visitor’s 7, where Williams scored one play later with an untouched run into the end zone. Landon Prather’s extra point kick split the uprights to put Westview firmly in control, 40-13.
The Chargers salted the game away with their first possession of the second half when Taylor returned the opening kickoff 25 yards, then ran for 19, 12 and 5 yards in the drive — the last a scoring plunge up the middle for a 47-13 advantage.
Tremaine McKinley cemented the final score when he capped a 10-play, 94-yard drive with a nine-yard TD run with 2:18 left to play. McKinley’s score was the sixth rushing touchdown of the game by Westview, which dominated the ground attack with 343 yards on 39 carries. Williams led with 116 yards and two TDs on 12 carries, while Taylor added 100 yards and a score on just eight touches. Haddad tallied one TD and 68 yards on four carries.
Through the air, Spencer was 8-of-13 passing for 122 yards and a TD with no picks. Tucker led the receiving corps with 82 yards and a TD on four catches.
Editor’s Note: Joey Guest is a free-lance writer and associate editor of Pressbox1.com. He can be reached at joeyguest1@yahoo.com or 731-332-1164.
Covington-Westview, Stats
Covington 6 7 0 0—13
Westview 18 22 14 0—54
First Quarter
WHS – Tanner Spencer 5 run, (kick failed), 11:13.
CHS – B.J. Burnett 20 run, (kick blocked), 9:54.
WHS – Spencer 3 run, (pass failed), 5:15.
WHS – DeMarcus Williams 5 run, (run failed), 1:48.
Second Quarter
WHS – Abraham Haddad 12 run, (Matt Melton pass from Spencer), 7:55.
CHS – Cordera Olden 73 run, (Bishop Davis kick), 5:09.
WHS – Mark Tucker 54 pass from Spencer, (Landon Prather kick), 4:44.
WHS – Williams 7 run, (Prather kick), 3:11.
Third Quarter
WHS – Chevy Taylor 5 run, (Prather kick), 9:13.
Fourth Quarter
WHS – Tremaine McKinley 9 run, (Prather kick), 2:18.
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CHS WHS
First Downs 9 20
Rushes-yards 26-169 39-343
Passing yards 31 122
Comp-Att-Int 4-8-0 8-13-0
Punts 5-28.6 0-0
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 3-1
Penalties-yards 3-15 2-15
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Individual Statistics
Rushing — Covington, Cordera Olden 4-72, B.J. Burnette 8-62, Chris Rogers 8-30, Hunter Deverell 5-13; Westview, DeMarcus Williams 12-116, Chevy Taylor 8-100, Abraham Haddad 4-68, Will Vernon 3-45, Tremaine McKinley 2-11, Tanner Spencer 5-6, Zeick Hicks 3-2, Matt Melton 1-1, Team 1-(-6)..
Passing — Covington, Rogers 4-8-0 31; Westview, Spencer 8-13-0 122.
Receiving — Covington, Heath Hoffman 2-17, Olden 2-14; Westview, Mark Tucker 4-82, Melton 3-30, Seth Waterfield 1-10.
Records — Covington 2-8 (1-5 District 13-AA), Westview 6-4 (5-1 District 13-AA).
Next Game — Covington's season has ended, while the Westview Chargers will visit Manassas Tigers in the first round of the TSSAA Class 3A playoffs with kickoff at 7 on Friday night at the Booker T. Washington field in Memphis.