Published Thursday, November 10, 2011 11:47 AM
Updated Thursday, November 10, 2011 11:52 AM
Swamp Foxes will have to contain Raider rushers
Ashley Ridge opens the playoffs Friday at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts the Raiders of Laurens High School.
This year the Swamp Foxes claimed the Region 8-AAAA championship and finished the regular season with an 8-3 record to claim the No. 3 seed for the Division II-AAAA playoffs. Laurens placed fourth in Region 1-AAAA and finished with a 5-6 record to earn the No. 15 seed.
However, Ashley Ridge coach Kenny Walker isn’t expecting to coast through the first round.
“Offensively they run the ball a lot and they do it well,” Walker said of Laurens. “They attempt to control the clock and keep the other teams’ offense off the field. We can’t allow them to have 12 or 13 plays per drive. Defensively they run to the ball well and are sound technique wise. Their defense has kept them in a lot games this year. It will be another challenge for us, but that’s expected since we are in the playoffs.”
The Swamp Foxes losses this season all came to teams that run the ball well – Goose Creek, Stratford and Wando. The Raiders have a number of formidable running backs, most notably Rodrick Talley and fullback BJ Moses, who is also a good blocker.
Laurens can also move the ball in the air. Raider tight end Edward Able has been selected for this year’s North-South All-star game.
Raider defensive back Tevin Barksdale will enter the game having already recorded several interceptions this year.
Laurens has given up some big plays on special teams this season while Ashley Ridge has excelled in that area.
The Raiders got on a roll in the middle of the season to earn four consecutive wins over Woodmont (68-14), Riverside (34-7), Hanna (49-34), and Westside (40-15). Laurens averaged 48 points per game during the stretch.
However, the team hasn’t been able to get back on track since the streak ended. The Raiders are coming off a pair of 41-7 losses to Greenwood and Wren and a 28-12 loss to Easley.
Ashley Ridge has won two of its last three games. The two wins were the biggest in the program’s history, over Summerville and Fort Dorchester. In between, the Foxes were routed by power Goose Creek.
The Swamp Fox defense had one of its best performances of the season the week after that loss to the Gators and the Ashley Ridge offense was able to utilize its variety of weapons in the win over the Fort as the team finished the regular season strong.
The Fox offensive backs all had outstanding nights as Romelo Doctor rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns; Vernon Moree scored four TDs; and Jacob Thompson was a force rushing and throwing.
If the Foxes can mirror last week’s performance, they should be hard to stop this round. Since it is the playoffs, a performance closer to the one they had in Goose Creek probably won’t cut it.
Contact Roger Lee @ 873-9424 ext. 213 or rlee@journalscene.com