In the first meeting between Winston County schools, Winston Academy and Noxapater, it was the Patriots from Winston that came out on top over the Tigers from Noxapater before a huge crowd at Patriot Field.
The Patriots went right to work on the opening possession and put points on the board when Brylee Wall connected with Secrata Miller on an 18 yard pass, Wall then connected with J.T. McGinnis for the 2 point conversion to put Winston on top 8-0 with 10:33 left in the first quarter.
After a Tiger punt on their first possession, they tied the game on a Pick 6 interception return of 40 yards. They then converted the 2 point conversion to tie the game at 8-8 with 4:42 remaining in the opening quarter. After a series of punts from both teams to end the first quarter, Winston added another score to start the second quarter when Omar Scott crossed the goal line from 2 yards out.
Winston's PAT failed but they had regained the lead at 14-8. Starting at their own 20 yard line, the Tigers then put a scoring drive together that ended with a 15 yard touchdown pass and PAT to go ahead for the first time in the game, 15-14 with 5:19 remaining before halftime.
But the Patriots said "enough is enough" and took the lead back when Scott scored again from the 1 yard line. Again the PAT failed but Winston had regained the lead 20-15 with 1:40 left in the second quarter to end all first half scoring.
Halftime brought a touching and inspiring tribute to the late Hunter Yates, as both teams and fans released blue balloons in memory of the young man that lost his life in a tragic accident.
As Winston kicked off to start the second half, they pulled a rabbit out of the hat with a successful onside kick after a Secrata Miller recovery at the Tiger 39 yard line. Both teams then faced a strong defense from their opponents and punted back and forth for the nexts 2 possessions.
With Winston starting at the Noxapater 29 yard line, the Tigers forced a fumble and recovered at their own 21 yard line to stop the Patriot scoring threat with 6:25 left in the third quarter. The Tigers then moved the ball deep into Patriot territory to start the final period of play, trailing 20-15. With Winston County bragging rights on the line, Max Fulcher ended the Tiger go ahead score with an interception at the Winston 2 yard line. A few plays later with 6:48 left in the game, Omar Scott added his third rushing touchdown of the night when he took it 87 yards for the score and Wall's PAT increased the Patriot lead to 27-15.
Noxapater and Winston then faced punting situations but the nail was put in the Tiger coffin when Jack Wooten recovered a punt fumble at the Noxapater 11 yard line with 2:03 left in the game. The Patriots then ran out the clock leading 27-15 to take the victory in the first meeting of these two schools.
As Winston rolled up 347 yards in offense compared to the Tiger's 159 yards, they were led in rushing by Omar Scott with another 100 yard plus rushing night of 152 yard and 3 touchdowns. He was followed by Jett Joiner with 32 yards. Brylee Wall also had another 100 plus yards in passing as he completed 10 of 16 passes for 144 yards and one touchdown while suffering 1 interception. He also converted a 2 point conversion pass to J.T. McGinnis.
The leading receivers were McGInnis with 44 yards and Will Thompson with 39 yards. They were followed by Secrata Miller with 18 yards and a touchdown.
The defense saw team leading tackler Jack Wooten lead the charge with 8 stops and a fumble recovery. He was followed by Justin McCool and Parker Cravens with 5 each and Will Thompson and Ethan Yates with 4 each
So as Coach Pat Byrd and his staff will try to improve their 2-1 record this week, they will play host to Central Holmes from Lexington. Game time is set for 7 P.M.
Homecoming week upcoming
By ROBBIE FAULK
In the past, Winston Academy hasn’t been able to overcome a lot of mistakes, but expectations and talent has changed under Pat Byrd.
The Patriots had trouble finding wins for the better part of a decade until Byrd’s squad won a district championship last year, seven games total and were just a win away from playing for a state championship. With that in mind, the coach now expects his team to play more crisp as the goal is to compete for district and state championships.
From a mental standpoint, he didn’t think his team played to its capabilities with too many mistakes in the win over Noxapater High School. It was still a win, though, against a public school that they’d never played before.
“We were just shooting ourselves in the foot. We had 15 penalties and kept several points off the board,” Byrd said. “Proud of our guys for finding ways to win though. The mental mistakes drive you crazy. The mistakes that are unprovoked. We had a really good practice on Monday. We got a lot of things accomplished to correct those mistakes.”
One good thing for the Patriots is the offense is really clicking.
After scoring just seven points against a tough Class 4A team in Leake Academy, the Pats came out against Canton Academy on the road and scored 36 points. They scored 27 against Noxapater with a lot of mistakes in hand. Extra talent added this season has helped make for a more fresh team down the stretch.
“It hasn’t really changed anything other than the fact now you’ve got three sets of legs. By the fourth quarter you’ve got three guys with three different styles and that’s going to do nothing but make us better,” Byrd said of the offense. “I think we’ve got plenty of pieces to the puzzle and our offensive line is getting better. We’re finally starting to get those guys in the right spot. Once they can play two or three games with the same unit up front, I think they’ll be really good.”
It’s now homecoming week for the Patriots, a time that is usually a dread for a coaching staff. The coaches have to deal with blocking out distractions for players from wacky dress during the days, a homecoming play on Friday and more.
Central Holmes Christian is the focus for Byrd and his staff. The 0-2 Trojans have the pieces to spoil the night for a 2-1 WA team looking to build wins to prepare for the playoffs.
“Regardless of what’s happening, you try to get them to play to the same level. They’re kids so they’re going to do what they’re going to do. We’ve got to leave all of that stuff at the field house and the homecoming court. We’ve got to make sure that we remember that us taking care of business is the most important,” Byrd said.
“Central Holmes is 0-2. They’ve got some good players in spots, but they’ve got some places where they’re inexperienced. But they’re good enough to come in here and upset the party.”
