SECTION IV FOOTBALL: WAVERLY RIDES FAST START, BIG PLAYS TO 42-10 WIN OVER WHITNEY POINT (22 PHOTOS) (2024-11-01)
Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY — Waverly scored five TDs in its first nine offensive plays, including three one-play possessions, on its way to a 42-10 win over Whitney Point here Friday night in Section IV, Division V football action.
Waverly fielded a squib kick at its 42 on the opening kickoff, and senior Kolsen Keathley scored on a jet sweep on the first play from scrimmage. Junior Hogan Shaw's PAT kick made it 7-0 just 15 seconds into the game.
Whitney Point picked up a pair of first downs and moved into Waverly territory on its first possession, but senior Xavier Watson's one-handed leaping interception ended the drive. He returned the pick 67 yards for an apparent score, but the return was called back and the Wolverines took over at their own 31.
On the first play, senior Fletcher Good ripped off a 69-yard TD run, but that was also nullified by a block-in-the-back call. To make matters worse, Waverly was flagged for a celebration in the end zone, resulting in a first-and-29 at the Waverly 12.
After a 7-yard run by Good, sophomore QB Ben Shaw hooked up with Watson on a 63-yard pass to the Point 18.
Shaw then hit Keathley with a 16-yard pass to the WP 2, where Good scored on a 2-yard run. Hogan Shaw's PAT made it 14-0 with 6:41 remaining in the first quarter.
Whitney Point's next possession ended with when Waverly junior Daltton intercepted a pass and returned it 30 yards to the Golden Eagles' 5.
The Wolverines, however, turned the ball right back over when the Eagles pounced on a high shotgun snap at the Waverly 11.
Moments later, facing a fourth-and-19 from its 2, Whitney Point punted, and Wolverines took over at the Eagle 44.
On the first play, after an offsides call moved the ball to the 39, Good found a seam and raced to paydirt. Hogan Shaw's kick made it 21-0 with 3:19 remaining in the opening stanza.
After a three-and-out, Watson returned a Point punt 40 yards to the Eagle 25.
With Waverly coach Jason Miller already subbing in much of his second team, junior Cooper Robinson busted loose on a 25-yard TD run on Waverly's first play with 45 seconds left in the first quarter. Hogan Shaw's kick made it 28-0.
After Shaw's ensuing kickoff sailed into the end zone for a touchback, Whitney Point put together a 13-play, 80-yard drive that consumed more than 7 minutes of the game clock to close the gap to 28-7.
After the Whitney Point kickoff, sophomore Drayton DeKay ripped off 42 yards on a jet sweep, and sophomore Bryce LaForest scored on a 12-yard run with 3:15 remaining in the half. Another Hogan Shaw PAT kick made it 35-7.
LaForest added a 2-yard TD run midway through the third quarter to finish off Waverly's scoring.
The Wolverines had 361 yards in total offense, including 282 rushing yards on 27 carries.
DeKay led Waverly with 80 yards on nine carries, while LaForest added 61 yards and two TDs on eight carries, and Good had 58 yards, and two TDs on five carries.
Ben Shaw completed his only two pass attempts for 79 yards.
Waverly, now 8-1 and ranked No. 1 in the state, will host Windsor in a Class C semi-final game next Friday.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Kolsen Keathley. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's Kim Hills (77) and Jack Cheresnowsky (70). ... PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.
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