GREENLAND — Greenland Coach Lee Larkan made no secret during Thanksgiving week he was concerned about Prescott’s speed.
After studying film, Larkan knew his players would have a tough time keeping up with the Curley Wolves in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state playoffs if their offensive weapons had room to run.
The tape didn’t do Prescott justice. The Curley Wolves (11-2) looked even faster running free on a cold Friday night at Jonathan Ramey Memorial Stadium.
Wide receiver Lavarious Martin scored three touchdowns in the second quarter as the Curley Wolves scored 34 points in the first half and didn’t slow down until the mercy rule went into effect in their 49-14 victory over Greenland.
“We knew coming into the game that they had as many athletes as probably have ever been on this field,” Larkan said. “When I saw them get off the bus, they were ready to play.”
Prescott’s high-powered offense got off to a fast start, needing only three plays to cover 61 yards and take a 7-0 lead on a 22-yard run by quarterback Trevon Rucker. But Greenland (8-4) bottled up the Curley Wolves after that - at least until the second quarter rolled around and Rucker got into a groove with Martin.
Rucker connected with Martin on touchdown passes of 15 and 27 yards in the second quarter, allowing Prescott to lead 34-0 at halftime and pull its starters in the second half after taking a 49-0 lead.
“It just took us a little bit to figure out what they were trying to take away from us,” Prescott Coach Tommy Poole said. “When we found out what they were trying to take away, we tried to start capitalizing on what they were giving us.”
Greenland relied on its power running game and stingy defense to advance to the school’s first quarterfinal appearance, but neither of those worked against Prescott’s aggressive defense.
Greenland running back Calvin Giddens couldn’t find much running room, finishing with 15 carries for 25 yards. His longest run came when he raced 10 yards for a touchdown with 2 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter, giving the Pirates their first points of the night.
Still, Prescott led by 42 points after the touchdown run.
The Pirates had a chance to build some momentum toward the end of the first quarter when they capitalized on Rucker’s interception and moved the ball to the 3. But they failed to score on four consecutive plays, including a fourth down, and came away with no points.
Larkan admitted it was a missed opportunity that proved to be a turning point in the game.
Sports, Pages 33 on 11/24/2012