Rochelle — Turning In a performance reminiscent of an observation Pogo the possum repeatedly made in a 1950s comic strip, Wilcox High fell victim to ECI 38-27 in Friday’s Class A state grid playoff semifinals.

“We have met the enemy and he is us,” Pogo said time and time again in artist Walt Kelly’s works of more than a half-century ago.

That assessment definitely fit the showing turned in by the Patriots whose offensive mistakes and failure to come up with defensive stops at key times brought an unexpected end to their season.

“We made too many mistakes to beat a team that good,” dejected Wilcox coach Mark Ledford told his troops several of whom broke into tears in the closing moments when defeat was obvious.

“Still, I thought our guys played their hearts out and that’s something they can take with them. Tonight was not our night as not much went our way. I was extremely proud of the effort given by players and coaches, however.”

The contest started out as a barn-burner when each team put a touchdown on the scoreboard on its first possession of the evening.

ECI, which has now won all five of its series clashes with Wilcox, drew first scoring blood by opening the game with a 68-yard, eight-play drive. It was launched by Greg Percell’s 22-yard sprint and capped by Caley Pressey’s quarterback sneak from inside the 1. Pressey’s PAT kick made it 7-0 with just 3:28 having expired.

The Patriots needed even less time to get their initial score as just 1:18 later Makail Grace hit Telly Whitfield in stride as he sped down the visitors sideline for a 58-yard TD strike. Roberto Carrillo knotted the score with his PAT.

The Bulldogs responded with a 55-yard, nine-snap march during which all but 22 of its aerial yards for the evening were recorded. A 19-yard pitch was the big gainer but the payoff came on a 17-yard toss from Pressey to Keith Sapp who broke free wide open over the middle.

It was on the ensuing drive that Wilcox made its first major gaffe of the contest played before an enthusiastic overflow crowd on both sides of Donnie Clack Stadium .

On first-and 10 from the ECI 15, a bad snap got past Grace who chased the ball down on it at the 40 from where Wilcox punted. “Play of the game,” Ledford would prophetically mutter as he paced the sideline.

After weathering a fake punt that worked for the ’Dogs, the Patriots soon forced another punt that resulted in them setting up shop at their 20.

A 37-yard pass from Grace to Jonathan Howard — a connection that during the course of the game would click 16 times for 209 yards — helped moved the ball to the ECI 19.

From there, came huge Patriot mistake No. 2 when at the end of a 14-yard pass play the ball slipped from Maurice Edwards’ grasp and was recovered by ECI just five yards from the end zone.

Wilcox soon got the ball back on an interception by Grace but after failing in two tries to gain the one yard needed to move the chains promptly allowed Bulldog James Brown to sail 55 yards around right end for a TD.

The half ended three plays later on one of the two interceptions uncorked by Grace who would finish the night with 27 completions in 42 attempts for 397 yards.

The second pick Grace hurled came just six plays into the second half and it was a disastrous one. On first-and-10 from the ECI 19, the Patriot quarterback threw over the middle where Bulldog Tiwain Daughtry intercepted and returned 90 yards for a score that made it 26-7.

The home team made good on its scoring chance that followed when Grace completed five of six passes for 53 yards and rushed four times for 31 including a 1-yard plunge up the middle to make it 26-14.

Region 3-A champion and third-seeded ECI responded with an 85-yard, eight-play thrust during which Pressey had a big 20-yard third down completion that kept alive the 85-yard drive he ended on a keeper around left end. That restored the visitors lead to 18 points at 32-14.

The game’s offensive fireworks continued when Howard returned the kickoff that followed 86 yards down the home team’s sideline to bring  Region 2-A titlist Wilcox within 11 at 32-21 with 2:53 left in the third period.

After forcing the Bulldogs to open the final period with one of their two punts on the chilly evening, the Patriots drew even close with a 93-yard, 13-play excursion that brought them to within five at 32-27.

Forced to overcome a pair of penalties along the way, second-seeded Wilcox actually went 99 yards in that drive that ended with Grace scoring from the 1. A two-point conversion play failed.

Needing a defensive stop if they were ever going to have one, the Patriots couldn’t get it as the Bulldogs began a nine-play, 71-yard clock-eating march. It ended 3:21 from the finish on a 6-yard run by Percell who escaped two would-be tacklers in the backfield.

When Wilcox lost five yards in the four plays that followed the kickoff after ECI’s final score, the Bulldogs had their win secured.

“You have to give them credit as they’re not a team you want to try to come back on,” Ledford said. “They made their plays without making mistakes and that’s how you get to the state championship game.

“The plan we had for them was good, but they’re a team that nobody has slowed (since suffering their only loss in the second week of the season.

“Overall, it was a momentum thing as we knew we had to score to stay with them and at the same time try to make them do things they weren’t comfortable doing.

“It didn’t work out that way as we weren’t able to make the big plays needed at this time of the year. I can think of 3-4 plays that if they don’t happen the way they did we’re probably on the winning side.

“ECI was well deserving of its victory, though, as when you key on their running backs (Percell who ran 25 times for 115 yards and Brown who carried 13 times for 96), here comes the quarterback (Pressey, seven carries for 94) yards who’s a tremendous athlete.”

In a final reflection about his own team, Ledford said he wanted to commend his seniors for “giving their heart and soul to our program. I’ll miss this bunch not just for their play on the field but just being around them every day. I wish them all well in life.”



Score by Quarters

ECI 13-6-13-6 — 38

Wilcox 7-0-14-6 — 27



Scoring Summary

First Quarter

8:32 ECI — Caleb Pressey 1 run (Pressey kick)

7:14 Wilcox — Telly Whitfield 58 pass from Makail Grace (Roberto Carrillo kick)

2:49 — ECI — Keith Sapp 17 pass from Pressey (kick failed)

Second Quarter

1:38 ECI — James Brown 55 run (pass failed)

Third Quarter

10:19 ECI — Tiwain Daughtry 90 interception return (Pressey kick)

7:27 Wilcox — Grace 1 run (Carrillo kick)

3:07 ECI — Pressey 37 run (kick failed)

2:52 Wilcox —  Jonathan Howard 86 kickoff return (Carrillo kick)

Fourth Quarter

7:40 Wilcox — Grace 1 run (pass failed)

3:21 ECI — Greg Percell 6 run (kick failed)



Team Statistics

First Downs: ECI 19, Wilcox 22.

Rushes-Yards: ECI 52-332, Wilcox 20-58.

Yards Passing: ECI 57, Wilcox 397.

Passes C-A-I: ECI 4-5-1, Wilcox 27-42-2.

Fumbles-Lost: ECI 0-0, Wilcox 1-1.

Punts-Average: ECI 2-39.5, Wilcox 1-28.

Penalties-Yards: ECI 3-15, Wilcox 6-40.



Individual Statistics

   Rushing: ECI — Pressey 7-94, Brown 13-96, Percell 25-115, Renaldo Williams 7-27; Wilcox — Grace 17-81, Maurice Edwards 2-2, team 1-(-25).

   Passing: ECI — Pressey 4-5-1 57; Wilcox — Grace 27-42-2.

   Receiving: ECI — Brown 1-19, Percell 2-21, Sapp 1-17; Wilcox — Howard 16-209, Edwards 4-49, Quinn Tisdol 3-53, Whitfield 3-86.