On paper, East Webster appeared to be outmatched against division 3-2A champion O’Bannon. Good thing games aren’t played on paper. The Wolverines used a suffocating defense and dominated the Greenwaves as they took a 35-6 win on Friday night in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs. With the win, East Webster improves to 6-6 on the season and will host Philadelphia on Friday night in the second round of the playoffs. “We are excited to still be playing,” Price said. “We got off to a great start and it kind of sticks with the tradition. When we get off to a good start, we have done well. We were able to get the punt return and get the momentum. And then we were able to get some separation early and control the game. I was proud of our kids of how they stayed focused and played good football with everything going on.” O’Bannon got the ball to start the game and forced a punt. East Webster’s Keevon Patterson fielded the punt and raced 74 yards for a touchdown with 9:47 left in the first period. The PAT failed and East Webster led 6-0. The Wolverines got the ball right back as O’Bannon fumbled on their first play of the next drive. The Wolverines then went 37 yards in 10 plays as Steven Betts hit Patterson on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 4:54 left in the first. Parker Burleson’s PAT failed and East led 12-0. East got the ball right back as O’Bannon lost another fumble. This time, it appeared as if East had scored when Patterson fumbled at the goal line and the ball went out of the back of the end zone. The East Webster defense then backed up O’Bannon, who snapped the ball over the quarterback’s head in the end zone for a safety and a 14-0 lead. The Wolverines then needed just four plays to find the end zone as Betts hit Patterson on a 30-yard touchdown catch. Burleson’s PAT was good and East led 21-0 at the half. “I thought the defense controlled the line of scrimmage,” Price said. “We caused some bad snaps, which caused some turnovers. We played solid on defense and never gave up the big play. We were able to run the ball and control the clock. I’m just proud of the way this team bounced back after losing to Leflore. We were playing a No. 1 seed who was 10-1 on their field. There was a lot of opportunity for our guys to turn and go the other way but they knew what we had to do.” The Wolverines got the ball to start the second half and drove 54 yards in seven plays as Betts hit Conner Shurden on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 7:46 left in the third. Burleson’s PAT was good and East Webster led 28-0. The last score from East Webster came early in the fourth as Jon Austin Roberts scored on a 17-yard touchdown run. Burleson’s PAT made the score 35-0. On offense, the Wolverines had 146 yards rushing and 90 passing for 236 yards of total offense. Sloan Hillhouse led the rushing attack with 45 yards on 14 carries while John Cunningham had 34 yards on seven carries. Betts was 7-of-10 passing for 90 yards and three TDs while he also rushed for 33 yards on seven carries. On defense, Ethan Roberts led the defense with six tackles and a fumble recovery. Hunter Dendy had five tackles with two for loss while Hunter Gilbreath also had five tackles. Noah Hatcher, Cason Pate, Patterson, Rashad Hamilton and Camron Jennings each had five tackles apiece. Betts also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on defense. The Wolverines get to return home this week as they will host traditional power Philadelphia on Friday night. The Tornadoes are 7-4 on the season and have overcome an 0-2. After coach Bobby Hall resigned following a loss to Bay Springs, assistant David Frey was named head coach and the Tornadoes responded with a pair of three-game winning streaks. The Tornadoes own wins over Kemper County (36-6), Quitman (20-14), Choctaw Central (32-19), Newton (40-8), Union (42-6) and Lake 35-14). The Tornadoes beat Walnut 61-0 last week in the opening round of the Class 2A playoffs. Their losses have come to Bay Springs (38-14), Neshoba Central (33-28), Calhoun City (15-7), and Scott Central (30-18). “They are going to be very athletic,” Price said. “No. 5 (Lideatrick Griffin) is a really good player and has some Division I offers. It’s going to be a challenge stopping them. The great thing is we get to play at home. Their are eight teams left in North 2A and we are one of them. We are thankful to be able to coach another week and play at home.” Quarterback Asher Morgan has thrown for 2,046 yards on 119-of-208 passing for 12 TDs. Wide receiver Lideatrick Griffin has 46 catches for 755 yards.
