The Sidney Lanier Poets were without their star running back Friday against Wetumpka, and the Indian defense made that absence hurt as Wetumpka went on to win 34-16.
The game was not as close as the final score makes it appear, as both Lanier touchdowns came in the last seven minutes of the game as Wetumpka got reps for the underclassmen.
Head coach Bear Woods said every player on the defense did their parts Friday night to make plays and get the Lanier offense off the field.
“I give credit to these guys, because with the new staff, that’s a lot of change,” Woods said. “To be able to see the performance and the consistency tonight, it’s just part of the process.”
Woods said that the absence of Lanier running back Tacaris Bozeman changed the game.
“He’s a difference-maker,” Woods said. “That was the biggest help of all, that for whatever reason he didn’t play tonight. He’s a special young man, and in my opinion, I told the staff two weeks ago when I went to watch Stanhope that he’s the best player we’ll play all year.”
Offensively, it was the Nate Rogers show as the senior quarterback ran for more than 200 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns. Rogers also connected on a 28-yard hook-and-ladder to give the Indians their other score of the night.
“What’s most impressive about Nate right now is that he’s growing as a leader,” Woods said. “He’s a young man that can be trusted on and off the field … In my mind, the sky’s the limit for him because of how he leads.”
The teams each traded a drive to start the game before Rogers found his first explosive touchdown run of 50-yards to give Wetumpka the 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Despite allowing a Sidney Lanier to convert a fake punt on fourth and long on the next drive, the Wetumpka defense quickly got the ball back in Rogers’ hands. The Poets forced a three-and-out, but a muffed punt gave the Indians a second chance to score, and Rogers took off for a 38-yard score.
That ended the scoring for the half, as Wetumpka couldn’t quite convert a long field goal attempt, leaving the score at 13-0 heading into the third quarter.
Wetumpka scored again on its first possession of the third quarter on the hook-and-ladder play that counted as a 28-yard touchdown pass.
Rogers torched the tired Lanier defense for touchdown runs of 55 and 20-yards to make the score 34-0 early in the fourth quarter, allowing for Wetumpka to bring players off the bench to earn valuable reps.
The win brings Wetumpka to 6-2 as they turn their focus to a road game at Clay Central next Friday.
