By Lonnie Turner
Six different players put points on the scoreboard in Lake City Friday night to lead the Dillon Wildcats to a whopping 48-0 non-conference victory. The defense scored its first shutout of the season while allowing the winless Panthers only 57 yards in total offense.
Leading the way for the ‘Cats was Anthony Blue with 159 yards and two touchdowns while Joe Blue scored two more six pointers to run his season’s team leading total to nine.
Senior quarterback Thomas Grossetti became a running threat early in the game rushing eleven times for 76 yards and a touchdown. With starting running back Jabo Lee still sidelined with an injured knee, Head Coach Jackie Hayes unleashed a bevy of backs that accounted for 358 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Grossetti added six completions for another 94 yards, but failed to get a pass completion into the end zone for a touchdown.
Lake City quarterback Marquise Brown had little time to concentrate with the Dillon defensive unit putting an ever constant rush on him. He completed only two of six passes for just 18 yards and was thrown for two losses to finish with minus six yards on four carries. Anthony McFadden, the leading rusher for the Panthers, was held to 51 yards on 15 carries.
A 36-yard pass completion to Tyreek Hayes on the first Dillon possession gave the ’Cats a first down at the Lake City 13-yard line which led to the first score of the game, a 3-yard run by Anthony Blue. Tara Grimsley, who has become automatic with the kick for the extra point, hit her first of six straight to give the ’Cats a 7-0 lead with 5:59 remaining in the first quarter.
After a three and out, Grossetti ran and threw theWildcats into scoring position just two minutes later. On first down at the Dillon 47, the 5’9”, 180-pound signal caller tucked the football under his arm and slashed through the Panther defense for 25 yards, but was sacked on the next play for minus six. He connected with Breon Page for 21 more yards and another first down at the Panther 25. On the next play, Anthony Page took a handoff from Grossetti and ran in for his second touchdown. The snap for the extra point was fumbled and Grossetti, who holds for Grimsley, tried to run, but was stopped.
The final touchdown of the first quarter came as a result of a fourth and one play at the Lake City 29-yard line. Linebacker Hishawn Blue met Anthony McFadden at the line and stopped him short at the line of scrimmage. After Joe Blue ran 20 yards to the nine and Grossetti again kept the ball to the one, Blue hit the line and went into the end zone for the eighth time this year.
Grossetti scored the final touchdown of the half with a little over four minutes left in the second quarter, after the defense forced a turnover. Dorian Davis picked off his second interception of the year at the Dillon 37 and Grossetti ran 13-yards for a first down at midfield. Anthony Blue ran 45 yards to the five and two plays later, Grossetti went in for the score.
The Wildcats put 14 more points on the scoreboard in the third quarter, with Joe Blue scoring from seven yards out and Pete Ingram made the Panthers pay when McFadden fumbled the ball away at midfield. Ingram ran an end around to perfection for seven yards and his first touchdown of the year to become the tenth player to score a six pointer for the ’Cats.
With the reserves in the game throughout the fourth quarter, Sophomore Ereon Hayes, quarterback Avery McCall, and Daijuwan Smith, both freshmen, joined forces to score the final touchdown of the game with Hayes running the final 23 yards to pay dirt. Grimsley made her 19th consecutive PAT and her 21st out of 22 attempts. As a side note, Carlos Trejo holds the consecutive record at 31 in 2011 and her brother, T.J. was one shy of that mark in 2010.
Leading the defense for the Wildcats was Damu Ford with eight solo tackles and Justin Cyprien recorded a quarterback sack.
With time running out in the game, the Panthers, aided by three consecutive pass interference calls, drove 60 yards on 10 plays to the one yard line threatening to score. Senior running back Leon Hanna took a hand off and was met at the line by junior linebacker Shy’keem Blue. The ball popped out and onto the ground where Blue picked it up and went 48 yards before being tackled. Hanna was still down at the goal line and had to be removed from the field by rescue personnel. With only 32 seconds remaining in the game, the officials, after conferring with the head coaches, ended the game.
Dillon, 4-0, will travel to Bennettsville on Friday to meet the Marlboro Bulldogs, which lost to the Conway Tigers in Conway last week. Dillon holds a 10-7 series edge over the Bull Dogs.
