Hornets’ Offense Rolls Over Lassiter

By Mike Blum

One week after a sub-standard offensive performance in a win against rival Milton, the Roswell Hornets sent an emphatic message to the other teams in Region 4-AAAAAAA that their offense is as tough to defend as the Roswell defense is difficult to score against.

The Hornets opened their region schedule Oct. 7 with a decisive 45-14 victory over the Lassiter Trojans, which came into the game unbeaten, state-ranked and considered perhaps the most likely challenger to what seems like an inevitable region title for Roswell.

Had it none been for some exchange issues on handoffs from quarterback Malik Willis to running back Sheldon Evans, the Hornets would have put more points on the scoreboard than they did against a Lassiter defense hat had not yielded more than 21 points in the Trojans’ 5-0 start.

Roswell (6-0 and No. 1 in the state in AAAAAAA) moved up and down the field almost at will, amassing 544 yards of offense and averaging eight yards per play.

The only concern on offense for the Hornets was five fumbles, three of which they lost, with all but one of the miscues coming when Willis and the Hornets’ running back (Evans three times and backup Jujuan White once) did not smoothly handle the exchange on the read/option.

Fumbles aside, Roswell’s offensive numbers were impressive, as the Hornets either scored or fumbled the ball away on every possession, never punting in the game. Evans gained 151 yards on 22 carries, including a 9-yard scoring run, and took a screen pass 51 yards. Willis passed for 233 yards and three scores, two of them to Jayden Comma, who had not been as big a part of Roswell’s offense as he was last year.

Comma scored on a beautiful move for a 6-yard touchdown to put Roswell ahead 28-7 midway through the second quarter. He made it 35-14 early in the third when he snatched a long throw from Willis away from a defensive back who interfered with him on the play, then shook off an attempted tackle to complete a 59-yard scoring play.

Willis had runs of 31 and 35 yards on the first plays of Roswell’s first two series to set up a pair of early fields by Turner Barckhoff of 41 and 42 yards. The field goals were sandwiched around a Roswell safety when the center snap on Lassiter’s first play sailed through the end zone.

Lassiter’s next play was a little more success, as a Trojans’ inside receiver got well behind the Roswell secondary for an 80-yard touchdown that pulled the Trojans within 8-7 with less than four minutes elapsed. Roswell came right back with an 80-yard drive consisting of six straight runs by Evans followed by a 25- yard catch and run by Kentrell Barber on a short pass from Willis.

A 69-yard drive by Roswell that featured 60 yards on the ground made it 21-7 with two minutes on the clock in the opening period. Evans scored on a 9-yard run, with Christian “Scooby” Ford contributing a 12-yard run on a jet sweep and a 9-yard reception that converted third downs of eight and nine yards.

Comma’s first TD catch capped a 66-yard drive that began with a 22-yard run by Evans. After a 35-yard catch by Ford, the Hornets were headed for another score when the first exchange fumble stopped Roswel l at the Lassiter 26.

The Hornets’ defense, which turned in another outstanding effort apart from a few plays, quickly got the ball back for the offense, but another Roswell fumble gave the Trojans the ball on the Hornets’ 22 with 40 seconds left in the half.

On their first play, the Trojans called for a double pass and the Hornets were fooled, with Lassiter scoring an easy touchdown to cut the Roswell lead to 28-14. After Lassiter passed for 172 yards in the first half, most of that total on the two scoring plays, the Hornets limited the Trojans to 34 yards on 4 of 14 completions in the second half, with the Trojans managing just 5 yards rushing after having minus-30 in the first half. The Hornets recorded five quarterback sacks and held Lassiter in check with the exception of the two touchdowns.

A 34-yard run by Evans set up Barckhoff’s third field goal from 21 yards late in the third quarter, and White wrapped up the scoring on a 3-yard run with three minutes to play after breaking loose for gains of 30 and 32 yards.

“We just had a good week of practice,” Roswell coach John Ford said of the difference in the play of the offense after the off night against Milton. Ford also was pleased with the play of Comma, noting, “We tried to get him going.”

Ford was especially positive about the play of the offense (the fumbles excluded), pointing out that the Trojans “are good on defense. But we’ve got to keep going the job. There are no guarantees.”

The Hornets will play on the road the next two weeks against two of their top region opponents, playing at Walton Oct. 14 and at Etowah Oct. 21.

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Image via Patch