Anderson's six scores lift Generals to win over Akron Ellet
"We were flat in the first half and we did not play that well," said Wooster High football coach Mike McCreary. "We came out in the second half with more energy."
That energy transformation helped as the Generals broke that 14-all deadlock and stormed to a 39-14 victory over the Orangemen at Wooster's Follis Field, as the Generals rode yet another huge effort by senior running back DeVonta Anderson. The outcome left both teams at 2-1 after week three of the season.
Anderson finished the night with 231 yards and six touchdowns, while the Generals compiled more than 500 yards in offense for the night. Most important, though, was after allowing Wadsworth to rally for a second-half win the week before, the Generals limited Ellet to 240 yards in total offense and kept them off the scoreboard.
"In the first half, we had two fourth-down stops," said McCreary. "They went for it on fourth down twice and we shut them down. That was big in the first half. In the second half, we got rolling and had energy right off the bat. We came out in the second half, the defense shut them down 1-2-3 and we scored. They had to throw more than they like, DeVonta started running hard and our line was doing well. Once we started rolling, they couldn't stop us. We got after them and wore them down. That's what the defense needs to do.
"We need to get more physical and make more plays in the right situations."
Wooster was able to do that after a give-and-take first half. Anderson opened his night with a 34-yard touchdown run for the only score of the first quarter (4:56). After Ellet tied it with an 81-yard scoring toss in the second, Anderson capped a Wooster drive with a six-yard run with 4:08 left. Less than a minute later, the Orangemen tied the score with a 70-yard run by Aaron Male (3:10) to knot the score at halftime.
"We came out in the first half and executed, and we got inside the 10 once but didn't score," said McCreary. "It was more mental than physical… and they had those two big plays. We were still functioning, but not with the energy level we needed. When you step onto the field, it has to be high energy. If we had done that against Wadsworth, we'd been down 28-0."
Wooster didn't fall into that trap in the second half. It forced Ellet to punt on its first series and Anderson capped Wooster's drive with a two-yard score. He struck again with just over two minutes to play in the third quarter to extend Wooster's lead to 28-14 at the end of the period, and then put the game out of reach with a one-yard score (9:21) to open the fourth quarter.
Anderson then ended the scoring by breaking free for a 46-yard score.
"DeVonta picked it up more," praised McCreary. "He ran well. He was more intense and once he started, people weren't just missing him, he was running people over. He carried guys for seven to eight yards on one run. His physicality picked up more. When he's playing at his peak, it's different. You can tell. He ran like a machine.
"And our offensive line executed well, too. They did well… and opened some holes."
Wooster finished the night with a 15-6 edge in first downs. It had 40 carries, netting 383 yards on the ground, while quarterback Devin Daugherty added 164 more through the air as he was 8-of-19 with one interception. Equally important, Daugherty nearly matched that figure with 138 yards on the ground.
"Our offensive line has done a good job," said McCreary. "We have exceptional players behind them in Devin and DeVonta, who can go all the way. We have receivers who can go all the way. If they do their job, big things can happen. They've done a fantastic job of allowing our skill guys to not just get a few yards, but huge plays. If they are average, we're still going to get yards, just not the big plays. They get excited when (the skilled players) do well, because that reflects on what they do."
Wooster opened Ohio Cardinal Conference play Sept. 16 at Ashland, which was 0-3 coming into the game.
"They are a good 0-3," said McCreary of the aerial-minded Arrows. "They've played Wadsworth, Dover is really good and Sandusky has been good in the past. All have been good games. Wadsworth got away from them toward the end, but they lost to Dover by a point and by a touchdown to Sandusky. We have to score points and find a way to contain their pass."
Published: September 15, 2011
