FLORENCE — Because of poor field conditions Friday night, city rivals Wilson and West Florence had an extra day before their clash at Memorial Stadium.
The extra preparation time apparently paid off for the Knights.
West Florence took advantage of four Wilson turnovers in a 30-14 victory Saturday.
West coach Trey Woodberry said the win was for the 31 seniors who had never beaten Wilson in their high school careers.
“It’s great for the seniors to finish their careers with a city championship,” said Woodberry, whose Knights last defeated the Tigers in 2004. “We still have a long ways to go, but it’s a great stepping stone to the playoffs.”
“It feels great to (finally beat Wilson),” West defensive end Sydney Sarmiento said. “I always knew we could do it. We just couldn’t put it together the first three times we played them.”
Wilson quarterback Richard Cue was intercepted three times, and running back Antwan Brunson lost a fumble at the West 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.
“In situations like that, we were our own worst enemy today,” Wilson coach Darryl Page said. “We have to get past it and right the ship in time for Lakewood for our (Region 6-3A opener Thursday night).”
In the first half, West Florence (4-1) used its offense to gain a foothold of the contest. Two Avery Murray touchdown runs and a Paul Pizzuti pass to Matt Connelly gave the Knights a 21-7 halftime advantage.
Pizzuti finished with 62 total yards for West Florence. Leon Richardson led the Knights with 17 carries for 95 yards.
“We came out ready to play,” Woodberry said. “We didn’t turn the ball over (in the first half) and made some plays.”
In the second half, West’s defense took over. The Knights stopped Wilson with two goal-line stands in the final 24 minutes.
The biggest play by the defense came from linebacker Ty Briggs, however. With the Knights holding a 21-14 lead, Ty Briggs picked off Cue and raced 56 yards for the game-clinching TD with 3:28 left.
Sarmiento later sacked Cue for a safety on the Tigers’ next possession for the final margin.
“The defense made some amazing plays in the second half,” Woodberry said. “This was a total team effort today.”
“Anything can happen in football,” said Sarmiento, who had two sacks in the win. “You just have to bow your neck out and play your hardest.”
For Wilson (2-3), missed opportunites in the red zone were part of a frustrating day.
“We just didn’t execute the plays we had,” Page said. “And I’ll leave it at that.”
West Florence hosts Greenwood on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
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