No. 3 Weddington dominates No. 15 Sun Valley in Deer Park Union County game of the week
Not all victories will be works of art.
That’s reality, Weddington head football coach Andy Capone acknowledged. But he has a tough time getting used to it.
“I guess sometimes I’m driven toward perfection,” Capone said, after his team walloped previously unbeaten Sun Valley, 42-3, on Friday night in the Deer Park Water Union County game of the week.
The victory left the No. 3 Warriors (7-1, 2-0) in the driver’s seat for the Southern Carolina 4A Conference championship.
Capone said he enjoyed the way his team played in the first half. But he struggled a bit with his team’s performance in the second half.
“I don’t know,” he said. “We got into the locker room at the half, and the kids knew they were way ahead. I guess it’s hard to keep that momentum going.”
Weddington went to the locker room up 35-0.
The Warriors had outgained No. 15 Sun Valley (7-1, 1-1) by a 262-42 margin, scoring three times in the final eight minutes of the half.
“The passing game was really working well,” Capone said. “We didn’t run the ball all that well, but we were able to move it in the air.”
Sun Valley held its own early in the game, forcing Weddington into a three-and-out and then moving the ball into Warrior territory on its first possession.
But Weddington changed the momentum on its second possession, when wide receiver Ian McDermaid took a pitch from quarterback Tyler Budge and then lofted a perfect spiral 43 yards to receiver Keenan Jackson for a touchdown.
The Warriors added a second score minutes later on a short-field situation after a botched Sun Valley punt, and Capone’s team pulled away.
Weddington’s offense moved the ball well on the ground in the second half, netting 142 yards, but the Warriors turned it over twice.
One aspect of Weddington’s game was solid for a full 48 minutes — the defense.
“I thought our defense played a solid game, all the way,” he said. “We turned it over on an interception, and they (Spartans) had a short field to work with. But we held them to a field goal.”
Sun Valley was held to 83 yards total offense in the game, including just 22 yards on the ground.
“We’ve got two more games to go,” Capone said of the regular season. “This is actually a young team, and it’s still growing. We’ll try to keep making progress over the next two weeks.”
Three who made a difference
Tyler Budge (Weddington): In the first half, Tyler Budge was outstanding. He completed 11-of-15 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for two scores. In the second half, he slipped a bit, but his team had wrapped it up by then.
Michael Luisa (Weddington): A senior linebacker, Luisa had two tackles for losses, a sack, and a pass breakup. He seemed to be near the ball on most Warriors defensive plays.
Jaiden Jones (Sun Valley): Jones had an interception, a tackle for loss, and broke up a pass.
Worth mentioning
▪ Weddington finished with a 438-83 advantage in total yardage. The Warriors got 234 of their 262 first-half yards in the air, then 142 of their second-half 176 yards on the ground.
▪ It was homecoming at Weddington, and both the home and visitors’ stands were packed at the start of the game.
▪ Weddington now leads the series with Sun Valley 12-8. The Warriors have won 10 of the past 11 meetings, after Sun Valley took seven of the first nine.
What’s next
Both teams have home Southern Carolina 4A games next week. Weddington entertains Cuthbertson on senior night, and Sun Valley hosts Marvin Ridge.
Scoring summary
Sun Valley 0 0 3 0 – 3
Weddington 14 21 0 7 – 42
W – Keenan Jackson 43 pass from Ian McDermaid (Everett Scott kick)
W – Tyler Budge 5 run (Scott kick)
W – Drew Harris 24 pass from Budge (Scott kick)
W – Budge 1 run (Scott kick)
W – Trevor Clark 10 pass from Budge (Scott kick)
SV – FG Jayden Crespo 32
W – Nick Diamond 2 run (Scott kick)