West Deptford Defense Fuels Win over Herd

On a rare day where the football team’s offense was jammed in neutral, struggling to gain yards and turning the ball over, the defense was on top of its game.

Led by goal-line tackles by Todd Jarrell and Jamil Pollard, the Eagles’ defense made key goal-line stops in the second and third quarter against Woodbury to keep the game scoreless.

Once the West Deptford offense got in gear, the game became no contest.

West Deptford rattled off 28 unanswered points over the final 18 minutes to defeat Woodbury, 28-0, in Colonial Conference non-division action on Saturday.

“We made some big plays down in the red zone defensively, and it kept us in the game,” said West Deptford head coach Clyde Folsom. “We settled in offensively towards the end of the second quarter and established things inside. Woodbury had a great defensive game plan, especially when we were against the wind, but our kids settled and played with a little more intensity.

“We won a game that we very easily could have lost.”

The win can mostly be credited to a defensive unit that stopped the Herd twice deep in the red zone. The first stop came midway through the second quarter, when Jarrell made two consecutive tackles on first and second down at the West Deptford four-yard line. Quarterback Anthony Averett was stopped by Jamil Pollard on third down and a fourth-down pass attempt was incomplete.

The second stand came early in the third quarter when a bad snap on a West Deptford punt attempt gave Woodbury the ball at the West Deptford 10. That drive also resulted in no points as Branson Holmes recorded a sack on fourth down.

On the ensuing West Deptford possession, the Eagles marched down the field and took a 7-0 lead on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Jake Hannan to Jakubowski with 5:45 left.

The Eagles (4-1) did not look back.

“The two goal-line stands we had, that won the game for us I think,” said Jarrell.

“The way all of us were able to get it up and rally together and finish the jam we got in was just phenomenal,” added Pollard.

As the defense continued to shut down Woodbury (2-3), the West Deptford running game took over in the final 15 minutes.

Cornelius broke off a 33-yard run on the Eagles’ next possession, and Gerald Towns finished the drive off with a 3-yard touchdown run with 9:34 left in the fourth quarter.

A botched snap caromed off Averett's helmet on Woodbury's next possession, and Pollard fell on the loose ball the give West Deptford the ball at the Woodbury 19. Two plays later, Cornelius took a sweep 19 yards for the score.

“We knew Gerald Towns was running the ball up the middle and he was unstoppable, so we knew we were going to move the football,” said Cornelius. “Him pounding the inside, we knew would open up the flankers for the speed tosses.”

Arrin Bundy added a 34-yard touchdown run with 4:47 left to seal the win. Towns led the rushing attack with 20 carries for 120 yards, while Cornelius had eight carries for 69 yards. Hannan was 2-for-6 passing with 56 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Even on a day where the offense turned the ball over three times, the Eagles had plenty in the tank to pull out a road win against a quality Woodbury team that was coming off two-straight wins.

“I saw a team that really wanted it out there today,” said Pollard. “The defense played together starting with the linebackers, Todd Jarrell and Josh Cornelius, and we have a great D-line.”

Jarrell said they key being a good defense is having everyone do their job.

“Coach Folsom prides himself in our defense,” said Jarrell. “That’s one thing he emphasizes before every game. His motto is ‘defense wins championships.’ From my standpoint, as a linebacker, I need my D-line, my defensive ends to step up and make big plays. If they do, I do. We all dwell around each other.”