FOOTBALL: Top playmakers, electrified defense strike in flash as West Laurens zaps Groves, makes lightning-quick start to season 

A short lightning delay pushing Friday’s kickoff back by about 25 minutes lengthened what, for West Laurens, already seemed like an endless wait to get the regular season started. 

But once it finally did, you could tell how ready the Raiders were to get rolling by how quickly they jumped on the scoreboard, and put away a 49-0 opening win over Groves. 

It took only one play – their first from scrimmage – for star playmaker Ty Cummings to score his first rushing touchdown, and just a second carry after about three snaps on the following drive for him to punch in another. 

The Georgia Southern commit would get the rest of the night off as his teammates took charge of the game, rattling off three more scores in the first quarter, and then one each in the second and third. 

Cason Pollock threw for a career-best three touchdowns and J.D. Hogan broke one off 48 yards to the house to complete a 42-0 first half. Braylon Robinson capped off a lone scoring drive by youngsters who played out the remainder of the game under a running clock. 

The dominant performance wasn’t without some issues that remain to be fixed in game 1 out of 10, though unlike in two preseason exhibitions that each had scoreless first quarters, the Raiders seemed to be playing their best football right from the get-go. 

“I was proud of the start,” West Laurens head coach Kip Burdette said. “We’re still making some mistakes that we’d like not to make with the older team that we’ve got. We’ve gotta stay focused up and keep plugging away and try to play up to the standard.” 

Though the overmatched Rebels could do little to compete with them on either side of the ball, the Raiders did do themselves in a bit with two turnovers (just one by the varsity group on an inadvertent punt touch in quarter 2) and a handful of penalties that were more costly than the garden variety for offside and procedure. 

Two 15-yarders on the same play not only nullified a first-quarter touchdown on the punt return of Juvon Hill, which was aided by a blindside block, but also handed Groves a free first down by virtue of a flag for roughing the snapper. 

A celebration penalty following the last of the first-quarter scores also had West kicking off from deep in its own territory to open the second. 

But the Raiders’ defense, which has adopted the persona of a pack of sharks, didn’t let the Rebels get anywhere as a result of the free chances. 

In the first 12 minutes alone, West Laurens accounted for 239 yards of offense against Groves’ net loss of one. 

Big hits and highlight plays, seemingly at least one for every starter, were frequent as the night went on. 

The Raiders’ kickoff coverage unit was responsible for producing the only first-half takeaway, as a Rebel return man fumbled to set up their West’s third touchdown, and second single-play scoring drive, early in the first. 

But the first defense would take the ball away on downs as Groves, thanks to the special teams mishap, made its only trip into plus territory late in the second quarter. 

“It felt amazing,” said senior linebacker Hunter Castellaw. “We’ve been working all week for this. We had a little bit of ups and downs on the D-line with some false starts, but we’re a team at the end of the day, so we’re gonna get it right next week.” 

Cummings scored on his only two runs, which both proceeded to the end zone untouched. 

The first went 50 yards left on the opening play. Branden Brooks threatened to break one on a series of carries to start the second drive, but was caught a few steps into the red zone on a long one that set up Cummings’ second the ensuing play. Brooks was out front leading the way, though with no Groves defender available to block on the walk-in sweep that made it – with the addition of Duggan Malone’s point-after – a 14-0 Raider lead. 

It’d be on the rise again just moments later after the Groves fumble gave possession right back to West Laurens, and Pollock hit Brooks for a 27-yard catch-and-run meeting similar resistance from the Groves D on its way over the line. 

The following possession, taking over at the opposing 48, would also score in a play as Hogan scooted right off a fake handoff, and blew right past two would-be tacklers on his way to the paint. 

Another long Brooks carry would set up Pollock’s second touchdown pass, to Hill on a run-pass option slant, as time expired in the first quarter. He completed the hat trick to cap off the Raiders’ first possession of the second on a 12-yard strike to Evan Holmes. 

They’d run out of steam on their last two touches before halftime, which concluded with a punt and the expiration of time after an unsuccessful shot to the end zone. 

But second stringers, led by Robinson and Jamari Blash, led a good-looking march to the end zone that followed a quick defensive stop in the third. Robinson took it in on a counter play, and Malone banged in a seventh PAT kick, to stretch the lead to its final extent. 

Blash would pick off a pass with minutes to go in the fourth on a final defensive highlight. 

Burdette was pleased with what he saw from the JV and freshman units that closed out the game. 

“Jamari Blash’s interception kind of stood out, but just in general, we ran a bunch of new guys down on kickoffs and we played a lot of guys,” he said. “You got to see Braylon Robinson really take over, in part of the second quarter and the second half. And then (Blash) had some nice runs. The young offensive line we got in the game, and the whole young defense looked good when they got in the game.” 

West Laurens will be back home this week for its final non-region game against North Clayton.