Published: 12:54 AM, Sat Oct 01, 2011
Douglas Byrd pounds Westover, 44-0
It's a sure thing that Douglas Byrd will be punished for its performance at Bob Paroli Stadium on Friday night.
Oh, sure, the Eagles skunked Westover 44-0, earning their first shutout of the season and handing the Wolverines their third.
They put up 479 total offensive yards, led by quarterback Breon Davis' 227 yards passing and Lorenzo Pooler's 124 on the ground.
But to coach Russell Stone's chagrin, the team committed three false start penalties.
And there'll be hell to pay.
"We made a deal last week that every illegal procedure is 25 up-downs," Stone said. "We've got to get rid of the nuisance penalties, so we do have some work to do next week."
At this point in Byrd's season, with the Eagles still undefeated at 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the Cape Fear Valley 3-A Conference, the team can get down to tightening the nuts and bolts of its game.
Davis, for one, isn't complaining about the up-downs.
"We have to get it right," the junior said. "We can't have all these penalties as we get deeper and deeper in the season and get closer to the playoffs."
Davis was the driving force behind the offense, completing 13 of 16 attempts, throwing for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
He also rushed for 41 yards and another two scores.
The performance was a return to form for the quarterback, whom Stone said was plagued by flu-like symptoms along with several other Eagles during last week's game, a 14-13 victory at Overhills.
"We had a lot of kids sick with the flu last week," Stone said. "Mentally, Breon just wasn't with us. It was sort of an abnormal performance for us. It was great to see him back this week."
Davis had a hand in the Eagles' first three touchdowns.
On the first, coming less than three minutes into the game, Davis found receiver Kevin Samuels in open field for a 21-yard scoring pass.
Davis then rushed for a pair of 4-yard touchdowns, helping Byrd to a 22-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Leading the Eagles' running game was back Lorenzo Pooler, who carried the ball 15 times for a game-high 124 yards and a touchdown.
Pooler entered the game as Cumberland County's second-leading rusher with 610 yards.
If the game marked a return to form for the Eagles, it only showcased more of the same for the Wolverines (1-6, 0-3 Cape Fear Valley).
The loss is Westover's third straight, following a shutout last week to non-conference opponent Hoke County.
The Wolverines' performance was marred by turnovers - five in all, including three lost fumbles and a pair of interceptions thrown by junior quarterback Henry Howard.
Howard completed one pass in nine attempts, throwing for 29 yards.
He led the Wolverines in rushing with 79 yards on 14 carries.
The turnovers weren't just plentiful; they were timely.
The Wolverines were only able to crack the red zone once during the game, on an 11-play drive in the second quarter propelled by Howard's lone completion, a 29-yard pass to Semaj Street that put the ball across midfield.
Howard and rusher DaShawn Toles pushed the ball forward with short gains on the ground until Westover earned a first-and-goal at the Eagle 1-yard line.
Toles fumbled on the ensuing play, and Douglas Byrd back Trevez Maynor fell on the ball, nixing Westover's best chance to score.
Despite the errors, Westover coach John McDonald remained positive about his team's performance.
"We got something out of the game," McDonald said. "The kids didn't quit. That's the main thing I'm proud of."
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at 609-0651 or shambaughj@fayobserver.com.