By Chuck Reherman
Sports Editor
Southwest Covenant all but wrapped up the District C-3 title Friday night and the Patriots did it in impressive fashion.
The No. 3 ranked Patriots have rolled through their first six opponents and made it seven in a row with a 55-14 win over the No. 6 Covington-Douglas on homecoming night on a soggy Patriot Field.
SWCS improved to 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in district play. SWCS has two games remaining and technically only one district game since Welch forfeited to CDHS last week. The Patriots travel to Welch this Friday and since the Wildcats forfeited the week before, they have been eliminated from the district race. SWCS will get the 15-points for the forfeit regardless of the outcome of the game.
SWCS took control of the game in the first half, but it didn’t come easy. SWCS was held to only 14-first quarter points but scored three times in the second quarter to open a 34-14 halftime lead.
“We knew Covington-Douglas would be a challenge for us and it was early in the game,” SWCS head coach Trey Cloud said. “The guys stepped up and met that challenge and we took control of the game in the second quarter. We continued to play well in the second half.
“The win puts us in the driver’s seat in the district race,” he added. “Our next goal is to win the title outright for the first time, have an unbeaten season and go further in the playoffs than we have in the past.”
The Patriots had one of their best games of the season on offense, rolling up 469 yards of offense in 75 plays, 278 of that on the ground. The SWCS gave up the most yards they have this season, allowing 253 yards, 199 of that passing.
SWCS went to their passing game early on and Ben Webb had his best night throwing the ball, completing 16 passes for 191 yards and six touchdowns.
Two of those TD passes came in the first quarter. Webb completed a 10-yard scoring aerial to Will Haas on the Patriots opening possession. He back to throw his second, a seven-yard strike to Tyler Kelly that opened a 14-0 lead.
Kelly scored a second time, this one on the ground on a 39-yard run that opened 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Covington-Douglas did cut the lead to 21-8 on their next possession with Dalton Fleeson scoring on a two-yard run. Parker Smith ran in the conversion to make it a 13-point game.
The Patriots, though came right back with a touchdown of their own, when Webb teamed up with Kelly a second time on a 25-yard pass. SWCS went for the two-point conversion, but came up short, 34-8.
Covington-Douglas put a late drive together in the first half and Weston Carl’s 39-yard pass to James Kroll cut the lead to 34-14 at the intermission.
The second half was all Patriots as the defense clamped down on the Wildcat offense and stopped any threat of a score.
Trevor Kelly’s 27-yard touchdown run opened a 41-14 third quarter lead.
The Patriots added two more scores in the fourth quarter (it was the second game in a row that SWCS had played a complete game). Haas caught a 15-yard pass from Webb to open a 48-14 lead and Webb capped his six-touchdown night with a 35-yard scoring pass to Cole Shaw.
SWCS had two runningbacks rush for more than 100 yards in the game (the first time this season for that accomplishment). Tyler Kelly ran for 140-yards on 12 carries and Trevor Kelly ran for 102 in 17 rushes.
Shaw led the receiving with five catches for 95 yards. Tyler Kelly caught five passes for 59 yards and Haas four for 33.
P.J. Riggs led the defense with 14 tackles (five unassisted), Jesse Deason had had seven total tackles and Blake Riddell six with one sack and one tackle for loss.
