Green Wave Point of View

Published 2:33 pm Thursday, November 17, 2011

Round two went to the Leeds Green Wave in the second round of the playoff, as Leeds knocked out Gordo for the second year in a row.  With the win, Leeds will travel up Highway 77 for a rematch from the Week Three classic matchup with Clay County.

THE GAME

Will the real Green Wave please stand up?  The Leeds Green Wave answered the call in the same way it usually does, a great ground game and a good defense.  Leeds got on the board first thanks to Chris Edwards’ 13- yard run to the end zone.  Leeds’ next score came from Ladarius Rodgers’ two-yard plunge set up by a 43-yard sprint to the Gordo two-yard line.

Leeds led 14 – 0 after one quarter and 14 – 6 at halftime as Gordo’s Alandis Smith scored from three yards out.  Edwards and Rodgers completely took over the second half, highlighted by Edwards’ three-yard run to the end zone with 1:15 left that put the game away.

THE STATS

The majority of the stats belong to the duo of Rodgers and Edwards.  The two churned up a total of 353 yards on the ground.  Rodgers had 27 carries for 199 yards and a touchdown, and Edwards had 154 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns.

“It was a big game, and I knew my teammates were depending on me.  I’m hungry, and so is the entire team.” Edwards said after the game.   The defense had a lot to say about the win as well.  Two goal line stands led by a knocked down pass by Adam Mitchell and a tackle for loss by Ronald Woods turned Gordo away on both scoring opportunities.  Woods had 11 tackles, including two for loss.  

MY PLAYER OF THE GAME

Wendell Smith Jr. was the target in the first half of the win at Abbeville in round one of the playoffs.  It was a struggle for him.  The second half was a different story as he stepped up and made some big plays.  He carried that momentum into this week’s game as he completely shut down whoever he covered.  Not one person had a catch on Smith on the night. “I just attacked the ball,” he said after the game.

A LOOK AHEAD

Friday night will be a rematch of an epic clash between the Green Wave and Clay County.  Round one went to the Panthers, who capitalized on their size and four Leeds turnovers.  Leeds still had a chance, but a fumble and an interception on the same drive resulted in a 14 – 7 Panther victory.   

This time the stakes are higher.  Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. at Clay County.