A win is a win and a loss is a loss—some losses, though, hurt less than others. Consider this: at halftime of the Compton/Wilson game on Friday, the score was 15-15. This despite the fact that Compton is the highest-scoring offense in the Moore League, and despite the fact that Wilson turned the ball over on each of its first three possessions, including a fumble tossed errantly into the backfield, which Compton scooped up and ran back for the touchdown. Although down 15-0, Wilson battled back, scoring on two drives that couldn’t have been more dissimilar; the first was a 17 play, 61-yard drive that ate up a lot of clock (6:14 to be exact), an important statistic in a game that pitted two teams with strong running games against each other. The second was a 60-yard touchdown scored by running back Brandon Robertson, which took about six minutes less.
Despite the miscues, Wilson battled back in, running the ball effectively (Robertson had 20 carries for 145 yards in the first half) and coming up huge on defense. “They did a great job of bending without really ever breaking,” Wilson coach Mario Morales said of his defensive unit, which only allowed one touchdown from Compton’s 150 yards of offense. The story for both teams was pretty much the same, though: a possession-based run strategy, hampered by mistakes. For Wilson, it was the turnovers. For Compton, it was penalties, a number of which came from false starts—on the night, they had 18 flags thrown on them, for 125 yards. Stephen Barrett, starting QB for Wilson, and Jerry Maluia, Compton’s QB, were a combined 0/6 at halftime.
But while the possession, and the score, were about even at halftime (Compton only held the ball a minute longer than Wilson in the opening two quarters), things began to shift after that. Compton had the ball twice as long as Wilson in the third and fourth quarters, and scored twice as many points. The first TD came on a 93-yard kickoff return for a TD by Bryant Hayes, off the opening kick, making the game 22-15 Compton. Then Wilson put together an impressive 9-play drive (which included a converted fake punt) to go 63 yards for the score, capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cheyne Garcia, one of Barrett’s three completions on the night.
From that point, Compton proved why they were undefeated coming into the contest, churning up the running game (which was undergoing on-field adjustments as starters Curry Williams and James McConico were both sidelined). “It’s hard without them,” Compton coach Calvin Bryant said, “But my guys can run. All my backs run track.” Temporary starters Gerald Dill and Byron Walker certainly can, and they got plenty of practice against Wilson, combining for over 250 yards and a per-carry average of 7.6.
With the run in full force, Compton chewed up a ton of clock, scoring on a 6:21 drive; they missed the extra point, but added on a safety in the fourth after a bad snap went over Barrett’s head. Wilson got the ball back late in the fourth, down 30-22, knowing they were just one big play away from stunning Compton. And they almost got it—senior receiver Christian Rogers caught a short pass from Barrett, and took it 53 yards. It looked like he was going to get the touchdown, but Compton’s USC-bound DB Chris Metcalf chased him down to save the game.
Wilson started 1st and goal at the ten, but couldn’t put it in, the last-ditch effort being a negative-yardage end-around to star receiver Jemari Roberts, for only his second touch of the night (the first on another run play). Then Compton took over on downs, and ran the clock out, securing a 30-22 victory to improve to 5-0, and 2-0 in league. Wilson falls to 3-3, with a 1-1 split in league. Compton will have to make do for now with their backup running backs, but they’ll need to get their defense up to Moore League speed if they want to take the number two spot behind Poly. For Wilson, it’s the same challenge they’ve faced all season long: How to get Jemari enough touches to let him change a game for the better, while still staying committed to a punishing running game that keeps their tough, underrated defense off the field.
Time of Posession:
1st Half: Wilson 11:20, Compton 12:40
2nd Half: Wilson 8:02, Compton 15:58
Total: Wilson 19:22, Compton 28:38
Individual Performances:
Compton QB Jerry Maluia: 2/5, 46 yards (0/3 in first half)
Wilson QB Stephen Barrett: 3/11, 97 yards, TD (0/3 in first half)
Wilson RB Brandon Robertson: 32-176, TD, 5.5 ypc; 20-145 TD in first, 12-30 in second
Jemari Roberts: No catches, two runs for 9 yards
Compton RB Gerald Dill 17-133, 7.8 ypc
Compton RB Byron Walker 16-120, 7.5 ypc
Team Stats:
Wilson 295 total yards of offense; 198 yards rushing
Compton 353 total yards of offense; 307 rushing
Compton 18 penalties for 125 yards