Bible verse, confidence enough to turn Trojans' season around

By Barry Byers - bbyers@heraldonline.com

Northwestern's football team started the season 0-4, and the players were searching for something to help turn it around, something that would give them hope and understanding.

Rod Byers, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound junior defensive end, gave it some thought and chose a Bible verse that offered encouragement. Byers is a 16 year old with strong faith. He's a deacon at his church, Higher Heights, on Carolina Avenue.

Byers searched his Bible and found Matthew 20:16: “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.''

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It was right on target. The Trojans won their next game, a shutout over then 4-0 Lancaster. They lost to South Pointe and fell to 1-5. But region play began in the seventh week, and Northwestern went on a five-game winning streak. The Trojans beat Gaffney 30-23 on the last night of the regular season and won the Region 3-AAAA title.

The streak reached six straight last week, with Northwestern beating South Florence 53-0 in the first round of the Class AAAA Division II playoffs. It gets a little tougher at 7:30 p.m. on Friday when the Trojans host 10-2 Hartsville at District Three Stadium in the second round.

“Somebody needed to say something,'' Byers said. “Coach (Jimmy) Wallace was doing a good job motivating us, but we weren't getting it done on the field. There were times when the other team would score and we'd get down. But we kept telling ourselves that we were ready, that something good would happen.''

Byers said beating Lancaster raised the confidence level. They beat a good team and proved they could compete. After the game, linebacker Brandon Williams said it was one of the best feelings he has ever had.

“It was crazy,'' said Williams, a 6-1, 205-pound senior. “It was so loud on the bus ride back to Northwestern that you couldn't hear a word anybody was saying. We were fired up, even when we got off the bus and went to the locker room. That win showed us we could turn it around if we stuck together.''

It was also the turning point for Northwestern's defense, which often takes a back seat to the Trojans' high-octane passing attack, even though they lost to South Pointe before starting their uphill climb to the top of the region.

In five region games, the Trojans scored 198 points, an average of 39.6. The defense allowed 108 points, which averages out to 21.6. Giving up 22 points a game is a sign of doom in most cases.

But at Northwestern, where the offense is a scoring machine, it's not that bad considering Wallace and defensive coordinator Mike Biddix had to replace all but four starters.

With Williams and defensive tackle Gerald Dixon back, two key players were in place. The emergence of Byers and Keon Stowers, backups last year, has been a good surprise.

Byers has 61 tackles, 10 quarterback pressures, five tackles for a loss and two sacks. Dixon is second on the team with 68 tackles; Stowers third with 67.

When Wallace was an assistant coach at York, he coached Williams' father, Ricky. The dad was a quarterback. The son prefers defense and was chosen to play in the Shrine bowl.

Williams has 110 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, seven pass breakups and an interception.

“When we were 0-4, we didn't hit the panic button because we knew we had played some good teams,'' Williams said. “I just wanted to win really bad. When we got our first the next week, somehow it pulled our team closer together. I can't tell you how much it meant.''

“It was incredible,'' Byers added.

“I can't express the feelings I had, but I can say it felt good. We got exactly what we needed when we needed it.''

Both players and Biddix agree that the actual turning point came against Clover after the Trojans opened region play with a 43-13 win over Nation Ford.

Clover was No. 5 in the state's Class AAAA Prep Writers poll and along with Gaffney considered a contender for the region title.

“When we were 1-5, our kids could have packed it in,'' Biddix said. “But we won our region opener and then beat a very good Clover team. We told our kids it was the big test, that if we won that game we had a chance to win the region. We had the right attitude, and it was our biggest win so far this season.''

Clover held a 31-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Northwestern's offense scored 21 points and its defense held off the Blue Eagles in a 38-31 victory.

“When we won that game, we felt we could keep it going,'' Byers said. “We went into the season wanting to win the region title and state championship. We took care of the region, now we have a chance to take care of our other goal.''