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SPORTS
HHS falls to Woodrow Wilson
BECKLEY -- If this is crawling, just imagine how Woodrow Wilson might look once it gets cranking.
Vashawn Wood rushed for 223 yards, including two long touchdown runs, as the no-huddle spread offense got off to a resounding start. The defense also did its part against Huntington quarterback C.J. Crawford in a 41-20 win Friday at Van Meter Stadium.
The formations may have changed, but the attack was much the same by the Flying Eagles. They attempted only three passes on the night, but really didn't need to.
Woodrow racked up 442 yards on the ground, confusing the Highlander defense with its misdirection.
Wood ran 12 times and had touchdown runs of 51 and 58 yards. He also had a 72-yard run down the left sideline that set up a 1-yard sneak by quarterback Ryan Stafford.
"I think we did a heck of a job for our opener," Wood said. "We've just been practicing real hard and we were just executing plays."
The Woodrow offense was as efficient as it was explosive. After punting on their first series, the Eagles scored on their next six possessions, and they had just four plays for negative yardage on the night. One came in victory formation on the game's final play.
"I was really worried that we would crawl before we walked," Woodrow coach John H. Lilly said. "That's what I didn't want to do. I thought we looked pretty good, but we've still got a lot of things to correct."
Stafford, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior, proved a load to bring down. He ran seven times for 28 yards, including a pair of 1-yard sneaks, in the first half to help the Eagles lead 28-14 at the break.
He did not play offense in the second half thanks to a minor injury, but stayed in the game at linebacker. Coaches say the injury is not serious.
Sophomore Dominique Hairston took over in the second half and finished with 51 yards on six carries. He also threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to David Allen in the third quarter.
"(Stafford) smashed his hand. It's not broken or anything, but he couldn't take any snaps," Lilly said.
"In the MSAC (grid-a-rama) we played Dominique the whole time. I told everybody we are really strong at quarterback. We've got two or three other kids who can play, too."
The Eagles also played well defensively, with Allen picking off two passes and Tyler Bowyer another.
Crawford was the playmaker he was said to be, often turning nothing into something. But he also was forced to pass the ball more than he wanted to -- the senior was 9-of-23 for 132 yards.
Crawford, rated as the No. 1 prep prospect in West Virginia, was held to 31 yards on 17 carries. Back-to-back negative plays ruined his night statistically -- he dropped the ball on one carry and wound up with a 10-yard loss, then was sacked by Brandon Martin in shotgun formation for a 14-yard loss.
"I think the nerves got to us early and we went out there and tried to attack him, and that was not our game plan," Lilly said. "We wanted to try to keep him contained in. The second half we just stressed keep him contained and try to make somebody else beat you."
The Highlanders scored one minute into the second half on a 20-yard run by Tim Cook, but managed just two first downs the rest of the way.
"They played solid football," Huntington coach Zach Wilson said. "We were making mistakes and they were taking advantage of them. Our lack of depth really hurt us tonight."
The Eagles host two-time defending state champion Parkersburg next Friday, while the Highlanders are home against Riverside.
HUNTINGTON HIGH 6 8 6 0 -- 20
WOODROW WILSON 14 14 13 0 -- 41
WW-Wood 51 run (Cook kick), 6:39.
H-Crawford 6 run (kick blocked), 4:25.
WW-Fowlkes 28 run (Cook kick), 3:13.
H-Hutchison 3 run (Crawford run), 10:57.
WW-Stafford 1 run (Cook kick), 8:59.
WW-Stafford 1 run (Cook kick), 1:27.
H-Cook 17 run (pass failed), 11:00.
WW-Allen 19 pass from Hairston (kick blocked), 7:12.
WW-Wood 58 run (Cook kick), 2:49.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Huntington: Gary Felder 3-60, Cook 4-35, Crawford 17-31, Hutchison 5-4, Joey Christian 1-1. Woodrow: Wood 12-223, Fowlkes 12-100, Hairston 6-51, Stafford 7-28, Lance Martin 3-21, Josh Williams 4-19.
PASSING -- Huntington: Crawford 9-23-3-132-0. Woodrow: Stafford 1-2-0-1-0, Hairston 1-1-0-19-1.
RECEIVING -- Huntington: Christian 3-40, Brandon Eubank 1-35, Steven Thacker 1-18, Christian Eschelman 1-17, Felder 1-12, Cook 1-6, Brandon Stanley 1-4. Woodrow Allen 1-19, Wood 1-1.
