Grimsley Offense Lights up the Night, Winning 63-34 over the visiting Rolesville Rams

Grimsley Offense Lights up the Night, Winning 63-34 over the visiting Rolesville Rams
courtesy of Michael Fanning, for GreensboroSports.com, and we thank Mike for being with us here, on GreensboroSports.com

How well do you trust your sophomore quarterback making his second ever start against a veteran defense in a close game? Coach Darryl Brown and offensive coordinator Jesse Tripp will tell you they trust him a lot. In a contest that proved to be a back-and-forth affair, against an inspired opponent, Brandon made key plays with his arm and his legs. None were bigger though on a fourth down and 13 at midfield. On the first possession of the second half they asked Faizon Brandon to pick up the first down. And he delivered. Brandon threw a 42 yard touchdown strike to Khyan Battle down the left side to give the Whirlies a 49-27 lead that effectively put the contest to bed.

Roseville came into this game with a veteran defense, a strong run game and a hunger to upset the Whirlies. Immediately after winning their home opener against a good Butler squad, new head coach Ranier Rackley reminded his team that “preparation for Grimsley starts now.” Looking to bring the same energy and hunger they used against Butler, Rolesville received the opening kick trying to grab the early momentum. The Grimsley kickoff coverage team did a great job and Rolesville was forced to start at their own 10 yard line. The opening possession saw the Rams running game get on track and take the first drive 90 yards for an early 7-0 lead with less than 2 minutes played in the game.

Grimsley would answer right back, going 60 yards on a Mitchell Summers touchdown run to make the contest 7-7. The following possession would see Rolesville go three and out and be forced to punt. A poor punt would give Grimsley great field possession. They would then drive 40 yards and take a 14-7 lead. The third Rolesville possession would be intercepted by Fred Sellers and returned to the Grimsley 38 yard line. The short field allowed for a quick score by Mitchell Summers to give the Whirlies a 20-7 lead.

On ensuing possession, Roseville would only pick up seven yards, but on a 4th and 3 punt, a roughing the kicker penalty would give the Rams new life. They would go on to run the ball all the way down the field for a touchdown and all of sudden it’s a 20-13 game. And on the very next possession for Grimsley, Brandon deep pass was intercepted giving the Rams all the momentum as the first quarter came to close.

Starting the second quarter saw the Rams go back to the run game where they had success on their first two scoring drives, but this time the Grimsley defense stood strong and forced a punt. A short kick out-of-bounce landed at the Grimsley 48 yard. The very next play Mitchell Summers broke thru the line and headed to the house on a 48 yard touchdown run making it 27-13. But Rolesville would not go away. Their next drive would go 79 yards for a touchdown by primarily running the football behind a big offensive line and the talented running back duo of Devon Thomas and Jonathan Dunn Jr. With the Rams back within a score at 27-20 it was time to see if the Whirlies could respond. And they did.

Grimsley’s next drive went 61 yards and was capped off by yet another Mitchell Summers touchdown to make it 34-20. Summers now had 5 touchdowns, on just 8 carries, and we were only mid-way thru the second quarter. Back came Rolesville, as they would go 64 yards and cut the lead to 34-27 with just 2:18 left to play until halftime. Back came the Whirlies, as they would drive the length of the field and score with just 13 seconds left in the first half to take a 42-27 lead into halftime.

Grimsley received the second half kickoff and took the ball to the Ram’s 42 yard line when a missed throw on 3rd down set up a 4th and 13. Both teams had been trading touchdowns, and the momentum, so do you trust your defense and punt it away or do you trust your young signal caller? Coach Brown put his trust in Brandon and was rewarded with a 42 yard touchdown pass to Battle to make it 49-27. The lead proved too much for Rolesville to overcome. Rolesville would orchestrate a third quarter touchdown drive, but a punt and interception on their next two possessions in the fourth quarter allowed the Whirlies to pile on.

Grimsley would go on to score touchdowns on their final two drives making it 63-34 when the clock finally struck zero. Mitchell Summers rushed for six touchdowns, Brandon rushed for a touchdown and threw for one, while WR Kaden Catoe took a jet sweep in from 7 yards out to complete the scoring. Catoe also scored on a two-point conversion try.

The Whirlies offense lit up the night, scoring touchdowns on nine of their eleven possessions. On a night where the defense struggled to bottle up the very talented Rams running backs, the offense locked in showing what they could be capable of this season. The run and pass mix kept Rams defense guessing. In what many thought was going to be a defensive test, the teams combined for 97 points.

The rushing attack of Rolesville gave the Whirlies fit all night. Rams running back Devon Thomas looked good between the tackles and often found the second level. Jonathan Dunn Jr. used his versatility to bounce to the outside to pick up yards. Quarterback Braden Atkinson threw a great touchdown to the back of endzone on a broken play and numerous times evaded the Whirlies pass rush. But when they needed stops, Grimsley defense stepped up. They snagged two interceptions and recovered a fumble on Rolesville’s final possession.