Rebels' opener is all Wright for Century

September 08, 2007|By MARK KELLER

Ask South Hagerstown assistant football coach Ralph Stottlemyer how the Rebels' season opener went against Century and he'd probably say, "It was all right."

What he'd mean is "It was all Wright" ... as in Luke Wright, quarterback for Century.

Wright put on an impressive show at School Stadium on Friday, running for 161 yards and two touchdowns and throwing for two other scores as the Knights beat the Rebels 35-20 in the opener for both teams.

"He's just a great athlete. We couldn't contain him," Stottlemyer said. "We'd go from one defense to another, get him stopped and he'd find another weakness. And once we ran him out of the pocket, our secondary guys couldn't catch him. He was the fastest guy on the field tonight."

The Rebels started the game - and the season - in grand style as Eric Phillips took the opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown. A 15-yard penalty for end-zone celebration backed up South's PAT attempt, which was blocked, leaving the Rebels with a 6-0 lead just 12 seconds in.

"Nice way to start it," Stottlemyer said. "He's one of the fastest we have."

Wright brought the Knights right back, running the first play from scrimmage 20 yards to the South 39.

On third-and-7 from the South 23, Wright connected with Josh Bordner for 19 yards to the 4. Wright finished the drive on a keeper to tie the score at 6.

Trailing 13-6, South got another big play from Phillips. On third-and-10 from the Rebels 41, Phillips broke free off right tackle and sidestepped one tackle before being brought down at the Century 2. Ian Anderson scored on the next play and backup quarterback Nick Gross added the two-point conversion to give the Rebels a 14-13 lead.

Wright answered with a big play of his own, running 43 yards to the South 18. Three plays later, Wright and Bordner connected again, this time for a 15-yard touchdown pass that gave the Knights the lead for good, 21-14.

"We didn't execute very well on offense," Stottlemyer said. "And defensively, we couldn't stop that boy."

Notes: South head coach Greg Kellick missed Friday's game due to a bout with pneumonia. Stottlemyer said it's doubtful Kellick will be back for South's game at Berkeley Springs next week. ... Phillips rushed for 87 yards on 10 carries. ... Wes Samples threw for 56 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown to Tywan Lee on the first play of the fourth quarter. ... Devaun Bowie had two interceptions for the Rebels.

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