PEMBROKE — History repeated itself on Friday night as the Fighting Scots locked horns with the Purnell Swett Rams. The Scots outscored the Rams 57-20 for their fourth win of the season.
The game didn’t start out as a blow out as the two teams exchanged touchdowns in the opening minutes of the first quarter.
Fighting Scots senior Zamir White broke free for a 23-yard touchdown run with a successful extra point, the Scots took a short-lived 7-0 lead.
Purnell Swett answered with kick return for a touchdown, but the 80-plus yard run by the Ramswas negated by an illegal block in the back. Rams running back Al’Drique Thompson broke through the Scots defense and ran the ball to the eight yard line to set up a one-yard quarterback keeper by Purnell’s Luke Oxendine.
The extra point by the Rams tied the game, 7-7.
Just over a minute later, Scots quarterback Warren Bell broke off a 56-yard gallop to regain the lead. The snap on the extra point was bobbled by holder Trey Dixon and the extra point failed. The Scots still had a 13-7 lead, despite the mishap.
A few plays later Fighting Scots running back Shyeam “Smiley” McQueen was injured during a run. McQueen was taken off the field and tended to by the Purnell and Scotland training staffs with a suspected shoulder injury.
The injury to McQueen lit a fire under White and he responded with a 14-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion saw Bell keep the ball to make it a 21-7 Scots lead.
The Scots defense opened the second quarter with a stop against the Rams offense.With the ball back in his hands, White broke off a 64-yard touchdown run. Bell’s two-point conversion pass was dropped giving the Scots a 27-7 lead.
On the ensuing kick return, Scots senior linebacker Chris Williams recovered the fumbled kick return at the Scots 25-yard line. One play later White was in the end zone — almost before the Rams defense knew what happened.
Scots senior Khalil Smith followed up White’s touchdown run with a diving leap into the end zone on the two-point conversion.
The Scots put their foot to the gas and weren’t letting up taking a 35-7 lead.
The Scots defense continued to put pressure on Oxendine, which resulted in a fumble that was recovered by Dashay Singletary — normally a JV starter.
The recovery by Singletary set up yet another touchdown run by White, it would be the senior’s second to last touchdown of the game. The touchdown run by White set up a seven-yard quarterback keeper by Bell to give the Scots a 43-7 advantage.
White’s final run of the game was a 74-yard statement and with the extra point by senior Tripp Wells the Scots had a 50-7 lead heading into the half.
Just minutes before halftime, Purnell Swett’s Herman Brooks was taken off the field in an ambulance after he and one of his teammates ran into each other attempting to make a tackle.
With the game essentially in hand after the first half, the 42-point running clock rule took effect. Since the Scots were up by more than 42 points the clock only stopped for time outs and change of possession.
The Scots second-string players held the Rams to just two touchdowns both passes from Oxendine to Cyran Dial and Chandler Brayboy. But not before Scots running back Joseph McCoy broke off a 65-yard touchdown run.
The final score read 57 Scots 20 Purnell Swett.
Scots head coach Richard Bailey was pleased with his team’s performance and how they adjusted on the fly to some Purnell Swett offensive schemes they weren’t prepared for.
“They had a good scheme and showed up a couple of things we had not seen defensively we had to figure it out so early we were scrambling,” he said. “It took a while to get up to speed with what they were doing but once we settled down I feel like we really controlled the game.”
Bailey gave credit to his offensive line, and his wide receivers, for making the holes for White to barrel through for six touchdowns.
“Our offensive line has been pretty dominant and they are a good group. We have about a week and half before we get (Darrian) Reeves back and then add to that bunch,” he said. “What’s really going to be good is that we’ve gotten a lot of depth with those other guys so I tell you we are really physical up front. We do a good job blocking at wide out, a lot of times those long runs it’s the wide receivers that really spring those.”
Amber Hatten can be reached at 910-506-3170.