Sandy Creek showcases ‘bend-but-don’t-break defense’ to claim state title

“We told our kids back in January that we wanted to send (the seniors) out the same way they came in, with a state championship,” Sandy Creek coach Darius Smiley said. “They worked their butts off over the course of the year, and I couldn’t be more happy for them.”

Third-ranked Jefferson (13-2) went three-and-out on all three of its first-half possessions, and if not for an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Chance Payne that cut the lead to 14-7 going into halftime, the Dragons would have had little to show for the first 24 minutes.

Sandy Creek held Jefferson to 0-for-1 passing and 17 yards rushing in the first half, and the Dragons didn’t pick up their first first down until 9:32 remained in the third quarter. At that point, Sandy Creek led 21-7, but the deficit felt even larger.

“We’ve been a bend-but-don’t-break defense all year long,” Smiley said. “I felt like there were not a lot of adjustments to be made. We just wanted to make sure we were flying to the ball, trying to steal the football, and getting them lateral and not downhill at us, and I felt like we did a good job of that.”

Austin Nunez, Rod Smith Jr. and Andrew Dawson led the way for the Sandy Creek defense with five tackles each, and Smith forced a fumble and broke up a pass. The Patriots held nine of their 15 opponents this season to nine points or less, never surrendering more than 24 in a game, and gave up a classification-best 10.2 points per game.

Sandy Creek had far less trouble moving the ball, especially early. The Patriots used 14 plays and 6:59 to go 44 yards on their first possession before turning the ball over on downs at the Jefferson 38. However, the Patriots scored on their next two drives, on a 15-yard run by Amari Latimer and a 4-yard run by Caleb Hill, to take a 14-0 lead with 2:53 remaining in the half.

Leading by seven at halftime, Sandy Creek made it a 21-7 game early in the third quarter after taking possession at the 4-yard line when Jefferson’s punter’s knee touched the ground while he was trying to field a low snap. Two consecutive 2-yard runs by Hill produced a touchdown.

Latimer completed the scoring with a 25-yard touchdown run with 6:55 remaining.

Latimer’s numbers in his final high school game were 96 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 22 carries, giving him 2,409 yards and 44 touchdowns for the season. His career rushing totals were 4,922 yards and 78 touchdowns. Latimer has signed with West Virginia.

“We’re just going to enjoy the win tonight, so I ain’t worried about replacing him right now,” Smiley said. “He’s a heck of an athlete, a heck of a teammate, and I’m just excited for him and the rest of the seniors for what their futures are going to hold for them.”

Jefferson’s offense picked up a bit in the second half, but the Dragons never got closer to the end zone than the Sandy Creek 19, where they turned the ball over on downs on their final possession with 1:48 left in the game.

The Dragons finished with 182 total yards and eight first downs. Colton Grant passed for 86 yards and ran for a team-high 61. Jefferson lost in the finals for the second consecutive season and is 1-5 all-time in championship games.

Sandy Creek’s Hill was 14-of-19 passing for 167 yards, putting him at 2,520 for the season, and rushed for 68 yards on 15 carries. Rylan White had 51 yards on four receptions. The Patriots had 14 first downs and 327 total yards.

“We’re getting a new building, so we’re in a trailer for a locker room,” Smiley said. “We’re in a dungeon, a little small hole to lift weights in. Our kids never complained about anything, and we’re 15-0 because of it.”