Pike Road wallops Greenville for 5A, Region 2 title

By TIM GAYLE

PIKE ROAD -- Things got heated before the start of the 5A Region 2 matchup between Pike Road and Greenville and tempers continued to flair until the Patriots doused Greenville’s region title hopes with a 44-0 romp on Friday night.

“Two of my starting receivers came from Greenville,” Pike Road quarterback Iverson Hooks said, “so it was a little heated. Them being the number two seed and us being the number one seed and playing for the championship, we knew it was going to be a little beef in the game, but our coach told us before the game it was going to be like that so we were mentally ready.”

The Tigers (7-2) were flagged for a personal foul, unsportsmanlike conduct and offsides before Pike Road ran the game’s first offensive play. The Patriots’ first play came from the Greenville 35-yard line and two plays later Hooks ran 21 yards at left end for a 7-0 lead.

“There was a lot of dirty stuff going on, but Coach told us it was going to happen,” Hooks said. “Us trying to be the better team and show our character, we just listened to our coaches and played to the end, no matter what happened.”

With the Tigers keying on running back Quinshon Judkins, the Patriots relied a little more on Hooks’ running ability and the senior responded with three huge runs -- all finishing in the end zone -- to put the game out of reach quickly. Pike Road’s next drive culminated with a 13-yard run up the middle by Hooks for a 14-0 lead and two miscues by Greenville turned the game into a rout.

“I don’t care if they put all eyes on me or all eyes on my running back, it doesn’t matter,” Hooks said. “We’re just here to work as a team. (Judkins) told me they were keying in on him so Coach had faith in me to give me the ball and I made stuff happen with it.”

Two plays into the second quarter, Greenville coach Josh McLendon elected to go for a first down from his 28-yard line, but running back Jacob Foster was stopped on the fourth-and-two run a yard short.

“I don’t play that, going for it on fourth down,” Pike Road defensive lineman Khurtiss Perry said. “I feel like third down and fourth down, that’s my down.”

Two plays later, Judkins took the direct snap in Wildcat and started upfield, then flipped the ball back to Hooks for a flea flicker. The senior glanced downfield briefly, but had to scramble away from the Greenville pass rush and ended up running 31 yards through the Tiger defense for a touchdown.

“We’ve got a good backfield with Iverson, Quinshon and Anthony (Rogers),” Pike Road coach Patrick Browning said. “Those guys feed off each other and when you try to take one of them away, that means there are opportunities for other guys. I think the coaches and players did a good job of capitalizing on what was there.”

On the Tigers’ next possession, quarterback Andre Davidson threw a quick pass to the left sideline and DJ Tolliver intercepted the pass and returned it 30 yards to the end zone for a 28-0 lead.  

Another Greenville fumble at the Tiger 17-yard line seconds before halftime led to a Landen Holley 34-yard field goal and a 31-0 halftime lead. Greenville, for all their bravado leading up to the kickoff, had managed just three first downs and 68 total yards. 

“We knew they would come in talking,” Perry said. “We just had to stay focused. I told the guys before we even came out, it’s going to be a long night because we have players from Greenville so I know it’s going to be a battle. I told them to let’s stay focused and get this ‘dub.’”

The second half was more of the game as a 78-yard run by Anthony Rogers and a 7-yard run by Judkins provided points and the defense continued to hold the Tigers in check as Greenville managed just 35 yards on 28 carries, including minus 4 yards in the second half. 

Hooks, whose only carry in the second half was a sack, had 83 yards on nine carries, while Judkins had 74 yards on 17 carries. Despite the lack of numbers, the scoreboard told the story of how potent the Pike Road offense can be.

“I feel like we’re one of the best teams in the state right now,” Hooks said. “If our defense comes together like they did tonight, I really don’t see anybody beating us.

Pike Road (8-0) closes out the regular season at home next week with Booker T. Washington before hosting Holtville in the first round of the 5A state playoffs on Nov. 5. Greenville (7-2) returns home to play G.W. Carver next Friday before hosting a playoff game on Nov. 5.