Photo: West End’s Isaiah Roberson (25) runs for a first down as Glencoe’s Hunter Hanners (4) pursues during the 49-0 shutout win over Glencoe on Nov. 1. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
West End wore out the scoreboard in Walnut Grove last Friday (Nov. 1), as the Patriots finished off the 2019 season with a 49-0 shutout over Etowah County neighbor Glencoe.
West End (4-6, 2-4) scored three touchdowns during the second quarter on the way to a 35-0 halftime lead.
Adam Bates’ 60-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the third quarter made it 42-0, while Eli Peace’s 28-yard TD pass to Thad Pearce at the 1:48 mark put the finishing touch on the Patriots’ fourth win of the season.
“The defense played really well tonight, and we were able to force some turnovers and turn them into points,” said West End head coach Kyle Davis. “We also threw some good balls and had some good blocking up front. It was one of those nights where everything went well for us. For our guys to come out and dominate like we did tonight after the way we lost to Glencoe last year, I was really proud of our kids.”
Eli Peace was 14 of 24 in passing for 266 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran nine times for 40 yards and a score.
Jeremiah Roberson had five receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns, while Thad Pearce caught four passes for 113 yards and two TDs.
For Glencoe, Garrett Gaskin rushed for 57 yards on 11 carries.
“Our kids weren’t ready to play, and that starts with me,” said Glencoe head coach Brian Alred. “[West End] had a lot of explosive plays and we had some busted coverages. We just need to play fundamental football.”
The Patriots cashed in on their first series of the night courtesy of Eli Pearce’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Roberson.
A 13-play, 72-yard series later in the first period resulted in Eli Pearce’s 1-yard touchdown run. The Pearce brothers teamed up for the two-point conversion pass for a 14-0 advantage.
Following a three-and-out by the Yellow Jackets (1-9, 1-6), Eli Pearce tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Mason Barnett. Evan Stancil pushed through the extra point to make it 21-0.
Jeremiah Roberson’s interception with just under six minutes left in the first
half set up Eli Pearce’s 54-yard TD pass to Thad Pearce. Then, on a fourth down and 20 from the Glencoe 30, Eli Pearce hit Adam Bates in stride for a touchdown to send the hosts into the locker room with a 35-0 lead.
With the Patriots ahead by 49 points, a running clock was used during the fourth quarter.
“We’re so young and had so many injuries this year, and for us to win three out of our last four [games] shows the resiliency of these kids,” said Davis. “All the teams we played in the first half of the first season are in the playoffs, so we played some tough teams. But our kids kept fighting and we have a lot to build on in the offseason.”
Alred acknowledged that his team shot itself in the foot far too often to have an opportunity to win. West End turned six Glencoe turnovers into 21 points.
“Turnovers were a big problem for us, and you can’t beat good teams if you turn the ball over like we did tonight. You’ve got to correct those mistakes.”