Wewahitchka downs Franklin County 54-13

Wewahitchka Coach Bobby Johns liked what he saw Friday night in Eastpoint, as his Gators rolled over Franklin County 54-13.

And he was equally pleased that his team would be getting a much-needed two week rest.

“We did some good things, we were more physical tonight than we were the last couple weeks. We’ve been soft the last couple weeks and it’s cost us,” he said. “We stayed on time on offense and we didn’t get behind the chains a whole lot. I’m pleased but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The Gators drew first blood midway through the first quarter, as junior running back Caleb Carter sprinted in from 38 yards out, and Wewa led 8-0.

The Gators added a second score, late in the quarter, when senior PJ Garrison ran in from 15 yards out, but the Seahawks matched it when sophomore Garyson Millender scampered in from two yards out. The Gators led 16-6 at the start of the second quarter.

Midway through the quarter an interception by freshman Bailey Cox killed a Seahawk drive, and Wewa scored with three minutes left in the half to lead 24-4.

But the key development had been the ousting of Seahawk senior quarterback Evan Stanley with a concussion after he hit the ground hard on a tackle.

“We did a pretty good covering them,” Johns said. “They were down one of their good receivers so that helped us a little bit, and then when we knocked the quarterback out early in the game, obviously they were playing shorthanded after that.

“(Stanley) for them is just a different guy. He can run the football so well and we kind of didn’t have to worry about the run anymore after he went out and we were able to play six defensive backs and keep them from throwing the ball,” he said.

After senior PJ Garrison  scored from five yards out with 19 seconds left in the half, the Gators went into the locker room with a 32-6 lead.

They would increase their lead to 40-6 when Carter scored from six yards out midway through the third, but would give up a touchdown a minute later when Seahawk junior quarterback nailed junior Brayden McCall with a perfect strike for a 54-yard touchdown.

“We didn’t cover real good on a couple of those and he put the ball in a decent spot and the guys caught it,” said Johns. 

Sophomore Damian Hughes ran it in early in the fourth quarter, and sophomore Tyran Willaims completed the Gator scoring with four minutes left in the game.

“We’re so beat up,” said Johns. “We had four guys out for the season. We’ve got guys  who are already banged up and a couple of them got banged up tonight. We need some time.”

On Oct. 28, the Gators travel to Trenton for a Sunshine State Athletic Conference game.