[Football] Stifling Defense, Balanced Offense Lead to Season Opening Win for Williamson
They say that defense wins championships. While that might be true to a certain extent, most championships are won by a combination of great defense and balanced offense, especially when it comes to football. Williamson got both on Saturday afternoon, as they came away with a solid 20-0 season opening road victory over Seaboard Conference opponent the New Jersey Warriors.
The came started off a bit on the wrong foot for Williamson as after receiving the opening kick, Williamson turned the ball over via a fumble on their very first play from scrimmage. Any thoughts that Williamson might be in a bit of trouble were quickly dashed though, as junior linebacker Chris Sheffer (JR/Drexel Hill, PA) intercepted a third down Ryan Jackson pass to quickly end the Warrior first possession.
The teams would trade possessions over the next few series until the Mechanics eventually hit the scoreboard on a beautiful 37-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Ryan Rodgers (FR/Oaklyn, NJ) to standout junior wide receiver Garrett Watkins (JR/Mechanicsville, MD) to put Williamson up 6-0. The extra point was no good.
Neither team would score in the second quarter and the big story there, as it was all day, was Williamson's defense. Williamson limited the Warriors to just 52 net yards in the first half.
The third quarter is when Williamson began to sperate things for good. And again, it was the defense that got things going, as junior defensive back Kam'Ron Patterson (JR/Philadelphia, PA) stepped in front of a Lamont Hampton pass and took it 46 yards for a touchdown on an interception return to put Williamson up 12-0 with 6:21 left int eh quarter. Rodgers then completed a 2-point conversion to put the Mechanics up 14-0.
Williamson would get the ball back late in the quarter and they put together a 6 play, 47-yard drive that was capped off by freshman running back Javont Daniels (FR/Woodlynne, NJ) on a 15-yard touchdown run to put Williamson up 20-0.
That was all Williamson would need, as their defense put the clamps on the Warriors the rest of the way. For the game, Williamson limited their opponent to just 102 yards of total offense. They forced six turnovers, had six sacks, and did not allow a single third down conversion for the game, holding the Warriors to 0-12 on third down conversion attempts.
Leading the way on offense for Williamson was Javont Daniels, as he rushed for 66 yards on 12 carries. Junior James Williams (JR/Lancaster, PA) added 23 yards on 5 carries. On the day, nine different Mechanics ran the ball and combined to churn out 152 yards on the ground. Freshman quarterback Ryan Rodgers had a solid debut, as he went 7 of 15 for 114 yards and a touchdown. Garrett Watkins led the receiving corps with 65 yards on four receptions and a touchdown. Junior Kaleb Glynn (JR/Wilmington, DE) added two receptions for 36 yards.
As far as the defense went, there were more than enough standouts. Junior defensive end Joe Kelly (SO/Newtown Square, PA), the reigning Seaboard Conference Defensive MVP last year, picked right up where he left off, as he had seven tackles, five of which were for loss, four sacks and forced two fumbles. Chris Sheffer added seven tackles, of which two were for loss, and forced a fumble to go with his interception. Freshman Gabe Walsh (FR/Glen Mills, PA) had five tackles, including two for loss, while Chris Meiklejohn (JR/Marple Newtown, PA) had five tackles (three for loss) forced a fumble and added a fumble recovery, while Cole Hunter (JR/Cinnaminson, NJ) added five tackles (two for loss). Connor Smith (SR/Springfield, PA) and Jack Grace (SR/Ridley, PA) also recovered fumbles for the Mechanics. Kelly Battis (FR/Philadelphia, PA) added an interception for Williamson.
The win is not only the first of the year for Williamson, but it is also the first for interim head coach Danny LaPella, as he has been filling in since the start of camp for head coach Dan Drake, who has been out sick.
"Give the Warriors credit," shared LaPella. "They are a well-coached team and their defense played really well. The did not make it easy for us, but our guys did a great job in all three phases and I'm really proud of their effort. We had way too many penalties and we left way too many points out on the field, but for our first game I thought we did a really nice job. There is still a lot of work to be done but we will enjoy this one for now."
Williamson gets back in action next Saturday on the road at long-time rival George Mason University in a 1:00 P.M. start in Fairfax, Virginia.