Barons run over Cardinals
Cardinal Newman 7
By George Kaupp

Wilson Hall 31

Michael Bolchoz (60) and Will Garnett (45) tackle Wilson Hall's Austin Boyle. Photo by Jim Marczesky

Davis Boyle ran for two scores and threw for another, all in the first half, as Wilson Hall defeated Cardinal Newman, 31-7, on senior night at Spencer Field in Sumter on Friday, October 20, 2006.

Boyle ran for 127 yards on just three carries. He scored on runs of 49 and 62 yards, and he threw a 45-yard scoring pass. He did not play in the second half.

Wilson Hall (6-3) started the game with the ball. They took just seven plays to travel 80 yards, culminating with a 15-yard touchdown run by Zach Graham. The extra point was missed.

Cardinal Newman (2-6) then got a break on their first possession. After not moving the ball in three plays, Collins Harper's punt was muffed by the Barons and recovered by Luke Allen at the Wilson Hall 45. However, the Cardinals were only able to move the ball one yard and were forced to punt again. This time, there was no return, and the ball was downed at the Wilson Hall five-yard line.

Cardinal cheerleader Ashley Marczesky Photo by Jim Marczesky

The Barons, undaunted, took eight plays on this drive to go 95 yards. Boyle ran for his first touchdown, virtually untouched for 49 yards. Again, the extra point was missed, and the Barons led at the end of the first quarter, 12-0.

After another Cardinal punt, Wilson Hall took only two plays to score, this time on a misdirection play. Quarterback Ansel Owens handed Boyle the ball and then faked two different pitches to confuse the Cardinal Newman defenders. Boyle then took off untouched down the left sideline for his 62-yard score.

When Wilson Hall got the ball back, they used more trickery to score yet again. Boyle took a pitch from Owens, pulled up, and threw a perfect strike to a wide-open Thomas White down the right sideline for a 45-yard score. The Cardinals finally woke up on offense on their next possession, driving 59 yards before halftime, but were stopped short on fourth-and-one at the Baron 10. Wilson Hall went into the half leading 25-0.

The Barons forced the Cardinals to punt on the first possession of the second half, and Ricky Crum gathered the ball in at the Wilson Hall 41 and ran 50 yards before finally being tackled by Harper. With a short field, the Barons were able to punch it in for another touchdown.

The Cardinals finally got on the board in the fourth quarter. After stopping the Barons on fourth down, Cardinal Newman got the ball on the Wilson Hall 20. Four plays later, quarterback Jones Brown hit Harper in the back corner of the end zone for a 15-yard score. Harper's extra point concluded the scoring. The Cardinals had one last chance to score late in the game, but Brown was flushed from the pocket and threw a pass that was intercepted by a diving Baron in the end zone.

The Cardinals end their season Friday, October 27, at home against rival Heathwood. It is Senior Night for the Cardinals. Tailgating begins at 6:00 pm, followed by the game at 7:30. Wilson Hall goes to Pinewood Prep to conclude their regular season.