Published: November 07, 2009 08:54 pm      

Second half surge lifts Waurika to win

Eagles pick off five passes in win

WAURIKA — It wasn’t so much that Rush Springs had the wrong idea, it was that Waurika’s secondary decided the last game of the season would be a great time to step out of character.

After being the soft spot in the Eagles’ defense for nine weeks, the players in pass coverage came up with six interceptions Friday night, and Waurika completed a late-season turnaround by pulling away from the Redskins, 34-0, at Cy Sloan Stadium.

Celebrating Senior Night, fourth-year safety Bobby Harris had three interceptions, sparking a 5-1/2 minute span in the second half that turned a scoreless standoff into Waurika’s fourth-straight win.

Senior Gil Griffin rambled for 200 yards on 20 carries, as the Eagles used a season-high 437 yards on the ground to help finish the season at 4-6 overall and end up sixth in District A-4 at 4-5.

“Our defensive coaches, Coach (Glenn ) Howard and Coach (Roger) Jessie have had good game plans in every game we’ve played this year, but it’s no secret that we weren’t very good in pass coverage. I guess that changed,” head coach Larry VanBeber said, after the Eagles had made life miserable for Rush Springs quarterback Sheldon Glass in the second half.

“We put a lot of pressure on (Glass), and on this night, at least, our pass coverage was good — better than good.”

Ironically, for most of the first half, Glass and the Redskins seemed to be executing a scheme other teams had found productive against the Eagles.

With 2:46 remaining in the second quarter and Rush Springs set up with a first down at the WHS 27, Glass tossed a pass across the middle that receiver Adam Fitzpatrick wrestled away from Harris. It gave the ’Skins first-and-goal at the WHS six, and it brought Glass’s passing stats to 6-for-9 for 64 yards.

But less than two minutes later came the harbinger of what was to come. When Glass tried to find Fitzpatrick again with a toss across the middle, this time Harris won the wrestling match and came away with an interception.

In the final 1:49 of the first half, the Eagles were able to move from their own one-yard line to the 35, but Rush Springs safety Brandon Duke sent the game to intermission in a scoreless tie with his second interception of WHS quarterback Jace Dunn.

“We didn’t really change much at halftime. We just reminded the kids to look at the down and distance, and we told our linebackers to loosen up a little on passing downs, which helped us get more solid coverage underneath,” defensive coordinator Howard said.

On Rush Springs’ second play of the third quarter, cornerback Robert Gilmore came up with what would become a string of four straight passes by Glass that were interceptions.

Gilmore’s pick-off at the WHS 34 triggered a nine-play, 66-yard drive that Dunn capped with a 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion pass to Harris that gave the Eagles an 8-0 lead.

In the next 5-1/2 minutes:

n Defensive tackle Taylor Fuller recovered a fumble by RSHS’ Collin Cox at the WHS 40. In a four-play series, Griffin had runs of 13 and 40 yards, and the Eagles took a 16-0 lead on a four-yard TD run by fullback Levi Henderson and a two-point conversion run by Griffin.

n Harris nabbed his second “oskie” on Rush Springs’ next possession, and although the Eagles gave the ball back quickly on a fumble by Henderson, Harris came back 50 seconds later with his third interception. It put Eagles at their own 48-yard line and Griffin immediately broke loose on a 42-yard scamper to the RSHS 10.

With 2:21 to go in the third period, Dunn covered that distance on a sweep around right end and Waurika’s lead rose to 22-0.

n There were nine seconds left in the third when Dunn became the third Eagle to intercept a pass by Glass, and the hosts were back in business going into the fourth quarter. Bolstered by a 23-yard run by Dunn, Waurika used five plays to go 47 yards, taking a 28-0 lead on Griffin’s seven-yard run, with 11:16 remaining in the game.

That series of turnovers-turned-into-scores left the Redskins shell-shocked, but Waurika wasn’t finished. With 9:32 to go, the Eagles launched a nine-play, 59-yard drive that Henderson closed four minutes later with a five-yard touchdown run.

Then, with 3:23 remaining, freshman Mason Wilkerson secured Waurika’s shutout with an interception.

Glass finished 6-for-16, with as many interceptions as completions. He did lead the Redskins (2-8, 2-7) in rushing with 35 yards on eight carries, but Waurika’s defense limited Rush Springs to 47 yards total offense and two first downs in the second half.

Griffin finished his senior season with 200 yards on 20 carries, giving him 935 total rushing yards for the season. Henderson added 91 yards on 20 carries, bringing his senior-season total to 624 yards.