Northwestern crushes Laurens to advance in 5A playoffs

Northwestern’s 58-7 first round playoff blowout of Laurens Thursday night made for fairly ho-hum viewing for most of the couple thousand fans in attendance.

It didn’t feel that way to Jon-Tomas Lewis. The sophomore cornerback, one of a slew of ninth and 10th graders playing late in the game thanks to the lopsided score, scooped up a Raiders fumble on the final play and took it in for a touchdown. He continued his sprint through the end zone, turned toward the sideline and would have probably kept going right on to Brattonsville had he not been mauled by a bunch of celebrating teammates.

“That’s fun, that’s what it’s all about,” said Trojans interim head coach James Martin.

Laurens was unable to hurt Northwestern’s defense with the pass, and the Raiders’ inability to deviate from their offensive game plan resulted in eight punts and two turnovers-on-downs. Northwestern (7-4) pulled its starters shortly after halftime and chucked a roster’s-worth of backups and JV and ninth grade players into the action in the second half, including the lucky Lewis.

It was basically a perfect situation for the Trojans, who will host either Gaffney or Easley in next week’s second round game.

Turning point

The game was never really in question beyond the first few possessions, but Northwestern buried any doubt early in the second quarter.

The Trojan defense stuffed Laurens’ Troy Dendy on a fourth and short run, then scored barely 2 minutes later. Senior receiver Jordan Starkes threw a 53-yard pass to Jamario Holley, setting up Starkes’ 5-yard TD run, before Northwestern forced a punt that Starkes returned 40 yards for another score and a sudden 24-0 lead.

Critical

Laurens (3-8) called a timeout before its first offensive snap, never a good sign. It also called a timeout on its final offensive play, just before the fumble that led to Lewis’ last-second moment of glory.

With the way the Raiders attacked Friday night’s game offensively, Northwestern only had to stop one thing, and it did. The Trojans’ defensive front stood its ground against the Raiders’ massive offensive line, allowing just over three yards per carry in its first half shutout.

“They came out and ran an offense they haven’t run in four weeks,” said Martin. “We made great adjustments really fast. It was just a team effort all the way across the board.”

Star contributors

Starkes was everywhere in the first half, catching a 10-yard TD, throwing a 53-yard pass to Holley before rushing for a 5-yard score and later racing in and taking a punt -- presumed down and left alone by every other player on the field -- 40 yards for a touchdown. He finished with close to 200 total yards and four touchdowns.

Holley was also productive, finishing with 143 yards receiving and two touchdowns. If he and Starkes remain in top form, the Trojans will feel confident of scoring with anyone in the state.

Noller completed 23-of-30 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns. And sophomore running back Marquez Cherry took advantage of extended playing time to rush for 87 yards and a touchdown on just five carries.

On deck

Northwestern will face the winner of Gaffney-Easley Nov. 10 in the second round of the 5A playoffs. Playing on Thursday gives the Trojans a chance to scout the game in-person.

“The coaching staff will be there watching that game to see who wins,” said Martin, “and we’ll start game-prepping tomorrow.”

Box score

Northwestern 58, Laurens 7

Laurens;0;0;0;7 - 7

Northwestern;10;28;14;6 - 58

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

NHS - Thomas Gettys 21-yard field goal, 6:43

NHS - Jordan Starkes 10 pass from Dustin Noller (Gettys kick), 3:45

Second quarter

NHS - Starkes 5 run (Gettys kick), 9:24

NHS - Starkes 40 punt return (Gettys kick), 8:21

NHS - Marquez Cherry 1 run (Gettys kick), 5:20

NHS - Starkes 28 pass from Noller (Gettys kick), 0:51

Third quarter

NHS - Jamario Holley 33 pass from Noller (Gettys kick), 9:28

NHS - Holley 4 pass from Noller (Connor Watts kick), 7:33

Fourth quarter

LHS - Chris Jackson 1 run (Austin Bercume kick), 2:34

NHS - Jon-Tomas Lewis 36 fumble recovery

TEAM STATISTICS

LHS;NHS

First downs;9;18

Rushes-yards;41-136;24-128

Passing;9-19-0;24-31-0

Passing yards;72;333

Fumbles-lost;2-1;0-0

Penalties-yards;6-58;4-17

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING LHS: Troy Dendy 19-39; Carado Ray 6-17; Ryan Campbell 6-25; Chris Jackson 8-47; Deonja Brown 1-3; Armani Todd 1-5. NHS: Dustin Noller 2-(-3); Marquez Cherry 5-87; Trey Robinson 5-7; Jaylon Baird 3-(-1); Jamario Holley 1-16; Jordan Starkes 2-(-2); Alex Meeks 3-16; Jailon Good 3-8.

PASSING LHS: Campbell 9-19-0, 72 yards. NHS: Noller 23-30-0, 280 yards; Starkes 1-1-0, 53 yards.

RECEIVING LHS: Santonio Cain 3-15; Deonte Smith 2-19; Jackson 1-16; Travon Grant 1-11; Will Tinsley 2-11. NHS: Carson Depass 2-35; Jamaar Moore 2-6; Ger-Cari Caldwell 1-18; Holley 7-143; Starkes 7-108; Tykilly Hall 1-10; Baird 1-0; Cherry 3-13.

RECORDS Laurens 3-8; Northwestern 7-4

This story was originally published November 2, 2017 at 9:34 PM with the headline "Northwestern crushes Laurens to advance in 5A playoffs."