Wednesday, Sep. 01, 2010

Wilkins' 'scoop' lifts Middle Creek

On a night when points and yards were hard to come by, it was more than appropriate that a defensive play clinched victory.

A 29-yard fumble return by Middle Creek defensive end Darius Wilkins gave the Mustangs the winning score in a 14-9 victory over Southern Durham (0-2).

On the first play after recovering a fumble by the Mustangs (2-0), Southern running back Akeem Judd had the ball ripped from his grasp by Darnell Simmons. There was never a doubt in Wilkins' mind what he was going to do next.

"I was scooping it up to score," Wilkins said.

It was tough sledding for both squads. Southern limited Middle Creek standout quarterback Garrett Leatham to just 156 yards passing.

Meanwhile, the Mustangs held Southern in check to just 109 yards of total offense.

"Southern Durham is a good team, so we had to step up to the plate," Wilkins said of his team's defensive efforts.

Middle Creek scored first, on the first play of the second quarter, as Leatham found Kevin Jones on a fade route from 8 yards away. The Mustangs had started that drive on the 14-yard line, thanks to a fumbled snap by Southern quarterback Dorian Belcher.

Southern's first points came when a high snap sailed over the head of Mustangs punter Joe Strasser's head. Strasser fell on the ball in the end zone for a 24-yard loss and the safety.

The Spartans only needed to move the ball 16 yards on their only scoring drive after Wake Forest commitment Sherman Ragland III blocked a Strasser punt.

Belcher capped the drive by finding Jeremy Thompson for a 7-yard score.

"We definitely made it a little easier for them, but that's football. Sometimes the ball bounces your way, and they took advantage of it," Middle Creek coach Sean Crocker said.

"We were searching for answers because their defense played lights-out tonight."

Southern (0-2) held onto a 9-7 lead until Wilkins' return with 7:59 left in the fourth quarter.

"No matter what, my guys kept playing," Southern coach Adrian Jones said.

The Spartans are off to a 0-2 start.