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| Titan receiver Travaughn Long caught three passes and ran for a score to lead West past Charlotte Vance. |
West Forsyth offensive coordinator Dave McConnell gave him one.
Known for having great hands as a wide receiver, Long was ecstatic when McConnell sent in a reverse play that made use of his excellent foot speed late in the fourth quarter.
The play also exploited Vance’s focus on stopping West running back John Stamper. Stamper had carried the ball on two consecutive plays for a total of eight yards, forcing Vance to call a timeout before third down.
Using Stamper as a decoy, the call quickly turned into the play of the night when Long — a 6-3 wide receiver — took a handoff, broke three tackles and raced 65 yards for a dramatic go-ahead touchdown. The score, which came at 1:35 in the fourth quarter, broke a 20-20 tie and propelled West into the second round of the 4-AA state playoffs — a feat they had not achieved since 2003.
“I’ve been asking the coaches to run this play for the past five weeks and they kept telling me ‘be patient, we’re saving it,” Long explained later. “Now I know why. Vance was pursuing the ball aggressively and the timing was right for a reverse.”
Petree agreed and credited McConnell and the rest of the offensive staff for getting the ball to Long.
“Vance was in pretty tight coverage and was looking for their second level players to make some plays,” he said. “So we adjusted with a reverse.
“We’ve worked on that play for awhile and Travaughn made it pay off in a big way. From the time he got the ball (from quarterback Maurice Hughes), you could see that he was determined to take it to the house.”
Yet even with Long’s heroic dash, the Titans weren’t able to nail down the win until the defense delivered a crucial stop on Vance’s ensuing drive.
After moving into Titan territory with a big kickoff return, the Cougars came up empty when Michael Eberle intercepted a pass in the right flat to secure the ninth West victory of the season. West is now 9-3 while Vance ended the year at 8-4.
The play of Long, who finished with three catches for 80 yards, and Eberle provided just a portion of the West highlights during the night.
Offensively, running back Tyler Jeffords continued to be effective on the ground and put West on the board early with a three-yard touchdown run.
Hughes added a one-yard score in the third quarter that enabled West to take a 13-12 lead. Stamper gave West a brief 20-12 advantage in the fourth quarter by scoring on an 18-yard run.
On defense, Kyle Jarrett led the way with two sacks. Don Maciel, Stamper and Zach Bowman also had sacks for West.
The win advances West into a second round matchup against six-time state champion Charlotte Independence this Friday. Independence, which has averaged 40 points per game this fall, has a 104-game winning streak and advanced to the second round by beating Weddington 37-6 last week.
Unlike their pass-oriented teams of the past, this Independence team features an offense that likes to establish the run behind its sizable offensive line. Once the ground game is on track, they keep opponents off balance by mixing in the pass. Last week against Weddington — a team they beat 44-0 during the regular season — the Patriots only threw the ball five times.
“From the film we’ve seen, it looks like they run a lot of counter sweeps and double tight end formations,” noted Titan senior linebacker Kyle Jarrett. “They can also pass the ball but they come after you on the ground first.”
With both teams sporting green and gold colors, Petree added that he is counting on a sizable portion of the green and gold in the stands to belong to West faithful.
“The whole town of Clemmons should shut down on Friday afternoon and make the drive to Charlotte,” he said. “This is going to be a pretty special night.”
Bonfire/pep rally planned
On Thursday night, West fans will have a chance to show their support for the Titans at a bonfire/pep rally at 6:30. It will be held in the lower gravel lot at West.