By Lonnie Turner
The Dillon Wildcats scored 28 points in the first eight minutes and cruised to a 41-0 victory over the Lake View Wild Gators last Friday night to take their first win of the season.
Malique Gregory, starting at quarterback in place of Avery McCall, threw two quick touchdowns to Eri’Reon Hayes in the first six minutes and Anthony Blue put two more scores on the board in the next four minutes. Blue’s first TD came with 5:47 seconds remaining in the first quarter on a 65-yard run and returned a punt three minutes later for a 55-yard touchdown. Blue rushed the ball only five times in the game for 116 yards.
McCall was on the sidelines favoring a bruised shoulder, which came as a result of an injury in the waning minutes of last week’s game with Mallard Creek, while Gregory was at the helm of the Cats. The 5’11, 204 pound senior completed all five pass attempts in the first half for 83 yards and the two touchdowns.
Freshman running back Johnny Allen scored his first touchdown of the season with 9:04 left in the first half. He rushed for a 12-yard gain to set up the TD with another running play to the Wild Gator 12. Tara Grimsley had kicked four consecutive extra points, but the snap from center sailed over the holder’s head all the way back to the 20-yard line, leaving the score at 34-0.
“We got them all in the game,” said Dillon head coach Jackie Hayes. “we were able to give our reserves good playing time.”
The Wildcats have 66 players dressed this season and they were all in the game at one time or another.
The Wildcats introduced still another quarterback following Allen’s six pointer. Austin Moody entered the game after Lake View fumbled the ball away on the ensuing kick off, but had little success in the remainder of the half, rushing three times for minus two yards and went zero for two throwing the football.
The second half for the 6’1, 170 pounder proved to be a different story. Moody hit all three passes that he attempted, including a 47-yard scoring strike over the middle to C.J. Sowells, and ended the game with a net total of 60 yards on three completions out of five attempts.
Dillon finished the game with 191 yards rushing, 189 of which came in the first half, and Gregory combined with Moody to complete 8 of 10 passes for a net total of 143 and 334 in total offense.
The Wildcat defense allowed only 23 net yards in total offense. The Wild Gator’s running game was held to minus 26 yards, but quarterback Weston Rogers completed 3 of 9 attempts for a net total of 49 yards. The longest play from scrimmage was a 40-yard toss to Reco Brown near the end of the second quarter.
The Wildcats will host the Latta Vikings at Memorial Stadium this Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Vikings will bring to the playing field running back R.J. McClam, who rushed for nearly 1800 yards in 2012, and lineman Donnell Stanley, the 6’5, 340 pound Morning News pre-season player of the year.
After Latta, The Wildcats will play at home for three more consecutive weeks, which includes Lake City on September 20 and the Marlboro County Bull Dogs the following week in a game that will fill the stadium much like the game with Mallard Creek. The first Region 8-AA game will be with Aynor at home on October 10.
Lake View will be off this Friday but will entertain the Fairmont Golden Tornadoes on Friday, September 13, at 7:30 p.m.
