Running attack helps Camden past West Florence

FLORENCE — After a dismal performance in its season opener against city rival South Florence, West Florence coach Trey Woodberry expected a better performance Thursday night when his Knights hosted Camden.

For the most part, Woodberry got what he wanted. The Knights, however, were

unable to shut down Savonn Wingate as Camden defeated West 16-7 at Memorial Stadium.

Wingate blasted through the Knights defense for 199 yards rushing on 29 carries, 140 in the second half. The Bulldogs simplified their offense in the final 24 minutes, pounding the ball up the middle for effective gains.

“(Wingate’s) a great back,” Woodberry said. “I would pound him up the middle, too.”

The junior’s effort more than made up for Camden’s inefficient passing game. Quarterback Josh Council went 6-for-16 for 148 yards but was intercepted three times.

Bulldogs coach Jimmy Neal said Wingate bailed his team out when it needed him most.

“He came to play. He ran hard tonight behind some good blocking,” said Neal, whose squad improves to 2-1. “The more we ran, the better we got.”

With the score tied 7-7 in the third quarter, Camden’s defense stopped Leon Richardson in the end zone for a safety and a 9-7 lead with 6:56 remaining.

The Bulldogs then took the free kick and marched 40 yards to another score. Council’s second TD run from 7 yards out gave his team a 16-7 lead at the 5:27 mark.

Council finished with 36 yards rushing and two scores.

Despite the loss, Woodberry felt his team played a complete game, something that was missing in last Friday’s loss to the Bruins.

“We played 48 minutes of football tonight,” he said, “and that’s what we’re gonna have to do if we want to get better.”

On the other hand, Neal was less than pleased with his team’s overall effort.

“West did a good job handling our formations,” he said. “We ran bad routes and dropped a lot of passes.

“We’ve got to do a better job of executing.”

After Broddick Jones gave the Knights a 7-0 first-quarter advantage with a quarterback sneak, West looked for more points. But Eddie McKenzie fumbled the ball away at the Camden 19.

The Bulldogs utilized their newly-found momentum on an 81-yard march to the end zone. Council finished the drive with an 8-yard scoring run to knot the game at 7 at the 11:30 mark of the second quarter.

“(McKenzie’s fumble) was the play of the game,” Neal said. “We just struggled in the first half.”

“These are kids that have played both sides of the ball, and Eddie McKenzie is one of our best players on both sides of the ball,” said Woodberry, whose Knights fall to 0-2.

“You can’t fault one kid for a loss. When you play a great team like Camden, things are gonna happen.”

Jones finished with 57 total yards to lead West Florence. Leon Richardson added 48 yards rushing.