Story by Kamarri Darrington
Photos by Thomas Stabler/CASB
PIKE ROAD–There was one more obstacle to the region title for the ASWA’s top-ranked team in Class 5A.
Pike Road hosted No. 9 Greenville with the Class 5A, Region 2 title and its 27-game regular-season win streak on the line.
The Tigers tried to literally make it a fight early on following a week’s worth of trash talk via social media as they picked up a couple of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties before the first snap from scrimmage.
The Patriots were prepared for the challenge and shut down the noise in a hurry. The two teams didn’t even shake hands after the game.
Pike Road senior quarterback Iverson Hooks rushed for 84 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries to lead the Patriots in a 44-0 win over Greenville to clinch a region title for the third straight season.
Hooks scored his touchdowns on the Patriots’ first three possessions. Hooks ended the opening drive with a 21-yard run for a 7-0 lead a minute into the contest. Late in the first quarter, his 13-yard gave the Patriots (8-0, 6-0) a 14-0 yard.
Hooks completed his hat trick with the play of the night. He dodged around two defenders and sprinted through the rest of the Greenville defense for a 32-yard score and a 21-0 lead.
Hooks only threw one pass before halftime. He completed it to Quinshon Judkins for a 4-yard reception on fourth-and-goal which resulted in a turnover on downs. Hooks completed all three of his attempts for 20 yards.
“We’re just here to work as a team,” Hooks said. “It doesn’t matter if they key in on me or Quinshon. It’s our senior year and we’re here to do what’s best for the team. Being a dual-threat quarterback, I don’t have to throw the ball 30 times for us to win.”
The Patriots defense was dominant before the break, holding the Tigers to just 70 yards in the first half and 142 yards for the game.
DJ Tolliver gave the defense another big play with his 30-yard interception return to make it a 28-0 lead for Pike Road. Just before halftime, a fumble recovery by Jaylan Jarrett led to a 34-yard field goal by Landon Holley for a 31-0 halftime lead.
Greenville (7-2, 5-1) even tried to go for a fourth-and-2 on its own 28, which Pike Road stopped after a 1-yard gain.
“I don’t play with teams going for it on fourth down,” Pike Road defensive end Khurtiss Perry said. “I feel like they’re trying us when they do that. We just had to keep our focus. We knew (Greenville) was going to try to come at us and make it a battle.”
Tigers quarterback Andre Davidson completed 13 of 26 passes for 105 yards and the interception. Ka’teylon Phillips rushed for 35 yards on 13 carries. Laquan Robinson caught four passes for 49 yards.
Pike Road ended their scoring with the other backfield stars. Anthony Rogers, who finished with 93 yards on 10 carries, broke a 78-yard touchdown run for a 38-0 lead late in the third quarter. Judkins finished it off with a seven-yard score with 11:06 remaining.
“We’ve got a great group in our backfield with Iverson, Quinshon and Anthony,” Pike Road head coach Patrick Browning said. “Those guys feed off each other. When you try to take one away, it opens opportunities for the other guys. Both teams were passionate and ready to play. We were just fortunate to make more big plays than they did.”
The Patriots now turn their attention to what they hope is a state championship run. Pike Road has yet to reach the state quarterfinals in the program’s short history with second-round losses each of the last two seasons.
Pike Road will first finish its regular season next week with a home game against BTW-Tuskegee.
“It’s time to really buy in,” Perry said. “We got to treat this last game like a playoff game, so when we get there it’ll be easier to lock in. My confidence is even higher after tonight.”
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