Bryant Carvalho (13) hangs on to Matt Taylor’s pass while being taken to the ground by the Cathedral Academy defense.
CHARLESTON – The Richard Winn Eagles took to the long road to Charleston on Friday to face the Cathedral Academy Generals in a hot and muggy night of football. While the Generals went up early, the Eagles battled back to dominate with a 56-28 win.
The General struck first with a 52-yard touchdown pass with 9:50 to go in the first quarter. The 2-point conversion gave Cathedral an early 8-0 advantage, but the Eagles quickly came roaring back.
John Coleman took a pass from Matt Taylor and raced 60 yards into the end zone with 9:11 on the clock. The 2-point try failed, however, and the Eagles still trailed 8-6.
After a big defensive stop by the RWA defense, the Eagles took over on downs. Taylor called his own number, zipping out of the backfield for a 61-yard touchdown run. The 2-point attempt again came up short, but the Eagles gained the lead, 12-8, with 4:39 to go in the first.
Taylor tacked on 6 more on a 1-yard run late in the first, and with their third straight 2-point try thwarted, the Eagles held an 18-8 lead.
The Eagles put up 21 points in the second frame, starting with a 5-yard pass from Taylor to Gunnar Hensley with 11:33 on the clock. The Generals answered with a 19-yard touchdown pass with 8:03 to go before the half. The 2-point conversion cut the Eagles’ lead to 24-16.
Taylor broke a 32-yard run for 6 with 6:55 on the clock, and finally added the extra point with Mitchell Gibbons’ kick to go up 31-16. Taylor would strike again with a 60-yard touchdown run with 4:33 left on the clock. Nic Stillwell punched in the 2-point conversion to give Richard Winn a 39-16 lead at the break.
The Generals had an opportunity to cut into the RWA lead to start the third quarter, but a Webb Yongue interception at the Eagle 10-yard line ended the threat and set the Eagles up for their longest score of the night. With 5:37 on the third-quarter clock, Taylor hit Conrad Sharpe with an 86-yard touchdown pass. The point after kick sailed wide, but the Eagles had established a dominating 45-16 lead.
The Generals managed to dent the scoreboard late in the third, adding 6 on a 15-yard touchdown run. Cathedral’s 2-point attempt was snuffed out, however, and the Eagles held a 45-22 lead after three.
The Eagles added one more score to their tally by turning disaster into points. Having driven the ball to the Generals’ goal line, the Eagle offense coughed up the ball in the end zone. Coker Gilbert alertly pounced on the loose rock to give the Eagles a 52-22 lead with 10:25 left in the game.
The Generals tacked on their final score on a 26-yard run with 5:28 to go in the contest.
The Eagles, now 2-0 on the season, take their offensive juggernaut to Laurens Friday to face the Laurens Academy Crusaders.
RW: 18-21-6-7 – 52
CA: 8-8-6-6 – 28
Scoring
First Quarter
CA—52 pass. 3-run. (9:50)
RW – John Coleman 60-pass from Matt Taylor. PAT failed. (9:11)
RW – M. Taylor 61-run. PAT failed. (4:39)
RW – M. Taylor 1-run. PAT failed. (1:42)
Second Quarter
RW – Gunnar Hensley 5-pass from M. Taylor. Kick failed. (11:33)
CA – 19-pass. 3-run. (8:03)
RW – M. Taylor 32-run. Mitchell Gibbons kick. (6:55)
RW – M. Taylor 60-run. Nic Stillwell 3-run. (4:33)
Third Quarter
RW – Conrad Sharpe 86-pass from M. Taylor. Kick failed. (5:37)
CA – 15-run. PAT failed. (0:39)
Fourth Quarter
RW – Coker Gilbert fumble recovery. M. Gibbons kick. (10:25)
CA – 26-run. PAT failed. (5:28)
Team Stats
RW CA
First Downs 19 20
Rushes/Yards 31-331 33-168
Passing Yards 222 203
C-A-I 14-19-0 10-34-2
Fumbles/Lost 1-0 1-0
Individual Stats
RUSHING: RW—John Coleman 4-45, Matt Taylor 25-200, Webb Yongue 1-14, Gunnar Hensley 4-46, Peyton Gilbert 3-3, Bryant Carvalho 1-6, Nic Stillwell 3-21.
RECEIVING: RW—Blake Pauley 1-11, Mitchell Gibbons 1-18, John Coleman 5-87, Conrad Sharpe 2-86, Webb Yongue 1-22, Gunnar Hensley 1-5, Bryant Carvalho 1-3.
PASSING: RW—Matt Taylor 14-19, 22 yards, 3TDs.