Courtesy or Mike Ellis and the Jamestown News…..A Womack Newspaper and CLICK HERE to see more of Mike and The News, from Jamestown, N.C.
Ragsdale took care of business on Friday night as they entertained the Bobcats from Glenn High School.
Needing a win to get back on track after a loss and a bye week, Ragsdale scored on their first two possessions, got two turnovers and allowed no first downs the first four times Glenn had the ball to take a 14-0 first-quarter lead. The Tigers then took the second half kickoff and marched 54 yards in eight plays to up the lead to 21-0 and virtually wrap up the victory. The defense did the rest, limiting the Bobcats to 104 yards in total offense and getting their first shutout of the year as the Tigers improved to 4-1 in the Piedmont Triad Conference and 7-2 overall.
The win, combined with East Forsyth’s victory over Northwest Guilford gives Ragsdale an opportunity to wrap up a share of their fifth consecutive conference crown. A Tiger win over High Point Central would ensure a tie with Northwest Guilford atop the Piedmont Triad standings with identical 5-1 records. An East Forsyth victory over Glenn next Friday would also give them a 5-1 record and would create a three-way tie for first place. Northwest has already finished their regular season play.
Taking the field after a week off, Ragsdale looked fresh and ready to play. The defense forced a turnover on Glenn’s first possession as senior linebacker Trey Grimes stripped the ball from Glenn’s Hunter Bowles to set up the Tiger offense on the Glenn 43 yard line. Eight plays later, Ragsdale was in the end zone with the game’s first score. Xavier Jones carried the ball four times on the drive for a total of 18 yards and Marquez Eleazer went off left tackle behind a block from Chris Whitesell for the final 14 yards and the touchdown. Brad Davis kicked the extra point out of a good hold from Garrison Herndon and Ragsdale was up by a 7-0 score.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Bobcats’ Noah Pearl almost tied the game up. Taking the kickoff at the 1 yard line, Pearl found a hole up the left sideline and crossed midfield with only one man between him and the tying touchdown. That man was the kicker, Brad Davis, who cut Pearl down at the Ragsdale 43 yard line. The Tiger defense took over from there as linebacker Brandon Swinton hit quarterback Parris Harris for a two-yard loss and a fourth-down pass sailed incomplete to give the ball back to the Ragsdale offense at the 37 yard line.
The Tiger offense made it pay off as they went on another scoring march. Herndon had two completions on the drive, the first to Brandon Walker for a nine-yard gain, and the second picking up 17 to keep the drive alive.With a first and 10 at the Glenn 28, Ragsdale ran a perfect reverse play for the score. Herndon handed the ball off to Eleazer who was sweeping to the right and he pitched it back to Walker who went around left end and into the end zone. Davis booted the extra point for the 14-0 lead.
Neither team was able to score in the second quarter although Ragsdale did have a 5-minute, 10-play drive that drive stalled at the Glenn 24. As the half came to a close, Glenn had the ball on the Ragsdale 34 yard line, but a Keith Tankersley sack for a 12-yard loss ended the threat and the first half.
Ragsdale wrapped up the scoring and effectively decided the game’s outcome on the first possession of the second half. Trey Grimes fielded a short kickoff at his 30 yard line and returned it 16 yards to give the offense the ball at the Ragsdale 46. Eight plays later the Tigers found the end zone. Herndon completed four passes on the drive to three different receivers, Eric Romer, Stewart and Walker, who had two catches. Eleazer picked up 13 yards and a first down on two carries and Jones covered the final 21 yards, going up the middle, finding a hole and darting in for the score.
The Ragsdale defense came up with three turnovers as Brian Nwokolo had a fumble recovery and Trey Grimes recovered two loose balls. The first fumble recovery was actually a “strip” as he took the ball from the Glenn runner. He was in on nine tackles with two of them for a loss. Grimes also returned a kickoff and went in as a blocking back on offense in short yardage situations. The Tigers also recorded five sacks of the quarterback to keep the Glenn offense from establishing any momentum. Will Sams had two sacks and Brian Nwokolo, Larry Ogunjobi and Keith Tankersley each had one for the Tigers. Brandon Swinton had a big night for the defense as he was in on seven tackles with one tackle for a loss of yardage.
The offense was able to move the ball on the ground and because of that stayed conservative in their offensive approach. They ran the ball 36 times for 163 yards. Marquez Eleazer led the team with 90 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. Xavier Jones picked up 46 yards on eight carries and also had a touchdown run. Brandon Walker got two carries for 30 yards, 28 of them coming on his touchdown run on a reverse in the first quarter. Garrison Herndon completed his first five passes of the night and ended up with 10 completions on 13 attempts for 70 yards with one interception. The interception came on a tipped ball in the second quarter. Erik Romer had four catches for a total of 18 yards and Anthony Stewart and Brandon Walker each had three catches for 28 and 25 yards respectively.
Now it all comes down to Friday night and a trip to Simeon Stadium to face the 5-5 High Point Central Bison for the final game of the regular season. With a win, Ragsdale wraps up a share of the Piedmont Triad Conference championship and a higher seed heading into the state playoffs. A loss would drop the Tigers to fourth place in the conference and they would need a wild card spot to get into the postseason. Central started the season off slowly, going 2-5, but they have now won three in a row and are coming off a 36-13 win over Southwest Guilford Friday night. It is a big game with a lot on the line and both teams will understand the importance of the outcome on the postseason.
Glenn 0 0 0 0 0
Ragsdale 14 0 7 0 21
First Downs 10-R 7G
Rushing Yardage 163-R 81G
Rushes 36-R 38G
Passing Yardage 70-R 23G
Pass Comp/Att/Int. 10/13/1-R 3/8/0G
Punts/Avg Yds 3/28.7-R 3/31.0G
Fumbles/Lost 0/0-R 4/3G
Penalties /Yds 7/75-R 2/15G
Time of Possession 26:15-R 21:45-G
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
R – Marquez Eleazer 14 yard run (Brad Davis kick) (6:55)
R – Brandon Walker 28 yard run (Davis kick) (1:32)
Third Quarter
R – Xavier Jones 21 yard run (Davis kick) (7:24)
2011 Piedmont Triad – 4AStandings
Conference/Overall
NW Guilford 5 – 1 .833 / 8 – 2 .800
Ragsdale 4 – 1 .800 / 7 – 2 .778
East Forsyth 4 – 1 .800 / 7 – 2 .778
HP Central 3 – 2 .600 / 5 – 5 .500
Glenn 1 – 4 .200 / 3 – 6 .333
Parkland 1 – 4 .200 / 3 – 6 .333
SW Guilford 0 – 5 .000 / 2 – 8 .200