Published: Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 / Updated: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 12:28 AM

Northwestern 42, Hartsville 9

The Northwestern Trojans won their seventh straight game Friday with a 42-9 beating of Hartsville in the second round of the Class AAAA Division II playoffs.

The win sets up a rematch of the 2008 Division II state championship clash between Northwestern and South Pointe. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at District Three Stadium.

Northwestern (8-5) is playing as well as it has all season. Someone watching the team for the first time against the Red Foxes would find it hard to believe the Trojans began the year with four consecutive losses. It is a distant memory now, as Northwestern has outscored its opponents 95-9 in two postseason contests.

“As a coach, I always think we can play better,” Trojans coach Jimmy Wallace said. “I remember 0-2, 0-3 and 0-4, but I think we are practicing harder and playing harder than we have all year right now. Tonight was a total team effort.”

Northwestern's special teams set the tone on the opening kickoff. Andre Wade sliced through would-be blockers and tackled Hartsville's returner at the 13-yard line. The defense picked off two passes ó one each by Nick Couser and Josh Shelton ó and caused five fumbles, recovering two.

“No. 16 and No. 92, among others are outstanding players,” Hartsville coach Jeff Calabrese said. Brandon Williams, a senior linebacker, wears 16 for the Trojans..... 92 belongs to junior defensive end Gerald Dixon.

One of the challenges for Williams and Dixon was to limit the yardage gained by Red Foxes running back Dre Scott, who entered the game with 1,581 yards, 17 rushing touchdowns and an average of 9.2 yards per carry. Scott finished with 53 yards on 12 carries.

“The difficult thing was that we knew we had to run the ball, but Northwestern is so good defensively,” Calabrese said. “They are so quick.”

Then there was the Trojans offense.

Junior quarterback Justin Worley threw to eight different receivers on the night. He tossed five touchdown passes to three separate targets and finished with 32 completions on 42 attempts for 353 yards.

Junior wide receiver Robert Joseph continued to add to his record-breaking year. He had 13 catches for 170 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He gave Northwestern the early lead when he hauled in a 2-yard throw from Worley on the Trojans' first drive.

Joseph is eager to play South Pointe next week.

“We have to get ready to catch, take hits and keep our emotions in check,” Joseph said.

Wallace let his coaches know how proud he was of each of them. With more than three minutes left in the game and Hartsville facing a fourth-and-10, Wallace made his way down the sideline giving handshakes, hugs and high-fives to every coach.

“I love them,” Wallace said. “They do a great job. Kyle Richardson takes care of the offense, and Mike Biddix does a great job with the defense. My job is just to take care of the players, all 83 of them.”

The Red Foxes finished the season with a 10-3 record.

“This is really amazing. This turnaround is unbelievable,” Northwestern senior offensive lineman Josh Yanotti said. “Now it's time for a rematch (with South Pointe). We can play better than we did tonight, but we are playing pretty awesome now.”

Northwestern broke a 7-7 tie on a 25-yard pass from Worley to Joseph with 8:39 to go before intermission. Five and a half minutes later, Worley threw another 25-yard scoring pass to Tyler Blake in the corner of the end zone.

Demario Wilson has become a contributor to the receiving corps the last several games. He caught two touchdown passes in the third quarter to help the Trojans pad their lead.

“I don't think anyone throws it like Northwestern,” Calabrese said. “It doesn't so much matter what a team does or tries to do. You have to have the parts to do it. Worley is a great distributor.”

Karl Lyles 329-4032

NORTHWESTERN 42, HARTSVILLE 9

Hartsville.....0.....9.....0.....0.....--.....9

Northwestern.....7.....14.....14.....7.....--.....42

SCORING SUMMARY

N -- Robert Joseph 2 pass from Justin Worley (Ryan Foster kick)

H -- Shawn Smith 1 run (Teal Davis kick)

N -- Joseph 25 pass from Worley (Foster kick)

N -- Tyler Blake 25 pass from Worley (Foster kick)

H -- Safety, Worley called for intentional grounding in end zone

N -- Demario Wilson 7 pass from Worley (Foster kick)

N -- Wilson 14 pass from Worley (Foster kick)

N -- Sanbobis McCleod 1 run (James Smith kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

.....HHS.....NHS

First downs.....13.....23

Rushes-yards.....34-164.....22-72

Passing.....84.....353

Comp-Att-Int.....8-14-2.....32-43-1

Fumbles-Lost.....5-2.....1-1

Penalties-Yards.....4-40.....5-25

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Hartsville: Dre Scott 12-53, Ronnie Jackson 5-13, Eric Williams 10-53, Shawn Smith 7-45. Northwestern: Sanbobis McCleod 12-66, Justin Worley 4-(-6), Desmond Cunningham 1-(-3), J.T. Thompson 2-9, William Ray 3-6.

PASSING -- Hartsville: S. Smith 8-14-84-2. Northwestern: Worley 32-42-353-1, Tyler Williams 0-1-0.

RECEIVING -- Hartsville: Brandon Beans 4-36, Scott 1-11, Williams 1-13, Jackson 2-24. Northwestern: Robert Joseph 13-170, Tyler Blake 2-33, Stewart Hunt 2-29, Brandon Lewis 3-27, Demario Wilson 5-48, McCleod 1-0, Cody Craven 2-20, Cunningham 4-26.

RECORDS: Northwestern 8-5, Hartsville 10-3