Revival of under-center run game, rugged defense helps West Laurens give No. 5 Monroe Area money’s worth

Friday’s non-region finale was the step forward West Laurens was looking for from its young team, but not quite the leap ahead that it needed to come up with a second win against its fourth-straight ranked opponent. 

The Raiders became the first of five challengers (each of the previous four classified AAAAA or higher) to hold the state’s sixth-top scoring offense under under 42, and got theirs going as well with some confidence and big plays in both run and pass dimensions. 

But unbeaten Monroe Area, whose high-powered attack still lived up to its billing with several clutch plays by junior quarterback Cooper Shumate, relied on its own defense to hold off the upset bid and take home a fifth victory, 21-13. 

West Laurens heads into its region 3-AAAA schedule with a record of 1-3. 

“I think we’re getting better, and that was my whole thing this week is we’ve gotta improve,” said Raiders head coach Kip Burdette. “We’re still not making the plays we need to make to quite win the game.” 

But they were much closer in four of the best quarters they’ve put together to this point in the fall. And that started with a first that was dominant going both ways. 

West Laurens ran it right down Monroe on its first few possessions, and none more confident than the first of 65 yards to ram in an early touchdown. 

The Raiders went on to force punts on on four of the Hurricanes’ five first-half possessions, and held them without a first down until the fourth, which did lead to a game-tying touchdown midway through the second quarter, as Bryce Bell fought his way through some defenders on a bubble screen to convert a fourth down, and Mandela Manga cut for a hole from the remaining two and a half yards to score and tie the game. 

West Laurens forced one more three and out in the second half, but Monroe Area figured out enough stuff to score twice, and nearly a third time, though a penalty made the Canes settle for a field goal try that was blocked by Tripp NeSmith, who led a surge up the middle to deflect the kick of Ethan Kinney. 

It tumbled short of the crossbar to keep an eight-point margin intact for a potential game-tying drive that didn’t materialize. 

West Laurens kept Shumate in the pocket, and succeeded in preventing him from changing the game with his legs on 23 carries for a modest 105 yards (which was well-below an established season average of 250 coming in). 

But the junior, which drew pregame comparisons to Johnny Manziel from Burdette, showed his arm’s got just as much magic in it with some clutch throws from on the run, off balance and even the seat of his pants on the desperate nine-yard touchdown connection – inches from a Devin Watkins sack – to V.J. Sandifer. 

He released the football as he was on the way down, shoving it about nine yards ahead to a waiting Sandier for the catch to deny the Raiders’ valiant attempt at a red zone stop on a 72-yard drive to go ahead that had survived multiple third and fourth downs just out of halftime. 

They were in a similar position, albeit with Monroe Area much further out, after giving up some big early-down runs on a quicker drive to the same spot early in the fourth quarter. 

An ineligible man penalty negated a catch at the 1 that would have set up a first and goal, and Ayden Moore sacked Shumate for a loss to set up a third and long. 

But he threw another seed on the next play with a bit of a stab in the dark toward the back line of the end zone, where the ball found his top receiver Bell with a toe in bounds for the touchdown that made it 21-13. 

It was one of a few outrageous plays that made you want a second look, if not to confirm that either were actually a touchdown, to find out just how he managed to pull either throw off. 

A glance at the tape, for what it’s worth, proved both unbelievable plays to be legit. 

Shumate had some other passes that were almost as ridiculous, hitting the diving Bell on a long toss early on the second-half scoring drive and Javien Jones from under duress in a couple of other situations, among his 11 completions (out of 13 attempts) for 167 yards. 

“We did an excellent job getting (Shumate) on the ground. He’s a really good player, as well as (Bell),” Burdette said. “They’re a top-10 team in 4A. We feel like we’re capable of playing with those teams, but we’re still learning how to win, learning how to get out of our own way a little bit.” 

A new look on offense… 

The Raiders’ run game, led by a couple of breakout ball-carriers in Kaden Bloodsaw and freshman Tre’J Germany, went under center, and all out in the first half. 

The two combined for all except a double-digit gain on the shoetop reception of Jeremy Brownlee along the scoring drive, with just one negative play, that began the night with six. 

Germany, carrying the football for just the second time of his career, went in standing over the left side on a cutback from seven yards away to give West Laurens the lead after only three and a half minutes. 

Monroe Area’s defense – having seen none of this on any clip of West Laurens film this season, or those before – would eventually adjust and mostly shut off the gushing flow of yardage between the Raiders’ D1-committed tackles to just a trickle, but the trend of offensive confidence continued despite some snags that prevented any addition to the lead. 

Drive 2 threatened, but ended on a play-action shot to the end zone that the Hurricanes’ Jones picked off. Their pass rush forced an incompletion on a fourth down to cut short the next at about the same spot. 

One other chance just before halftime also came up empty on downs, as the Canes stuffed some early-down progress and brought some more stiff pressure on third and fourth to get the Raiders off the field. 

West’s first possession of the third, after Monroe area reclaimed the lead on a 6ish-minute march to start the half, produced a needed answer quickly. 

Malone had Jaden Stanley headed right where he wanted him on a wide-open cut into the center of the field, and hit him with the pass to go 48 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-13. 

“It was a seam route,” Stanley said. “They’ve always told me if it’s too high, or if there’s nobody across the middle, bend it. The first time we did it, we had a little miscommunication. We went back into the locker room at halftime, talked about it, they gave us the same look and we capitalized on it.” 

Regrettably, some trouble with the snap on the point-after kick forced a fire-drill attempt at two points for the lead, and Malone’s pass was broken up at the goal line to leave the score there. 

Three remaining shots to do something about the deficit, which would grow to eight, failed with turnovers via fumble and downs, and a final punt after which three Hurricane first downs would take care of the game’s remaining time. 

Manga led a majority of Monroe Area’s defensive pressures with a tackling line of 12 total, three for loss and three hurries. 

Bloodsaw finished with an unofficial 146 yards to answer the call for some much-needed rushing production within a West Laurens running back room that, due to injuries and other things, hasn’t had its full set of players available for any of the season’s four games so far. 

Each of them have proven that the Raiders’ success this season, no matter what type of identity they settle on, will start with being able to move the football on the ground. 

“It just plays a big role in our offense,” Bloodsaw said. “We’ve just gotta keep executing, and next week come through with a win.” 

Junior cohort Braylen Robinson also appeared a handful of times, but was clearly still a touch limited after missing the previous week’s game. Justin Blash, who took every running back carry at Cook, was out. 

Germany, who made his varsity debut after focusing on JV reps through the first three or four weeks of the season, will continue to balance Thursday and Friday action based on the big squad’s needs at the position the remainder of the season. 

“He’s got a bright future,” Burdette said. 

Moore, Leroy Mack, Nicholas Hester, Maxx Chafin and Stephen Odom each had key tackles and plays in the defensive effort. 

Stanley, who recently announced his commitment to his head coach’s alma mater Valdosta State, provided some impact plays on both sides. 

“The whole summer they were telling me you’re probably gonna have to play both sides a lot,” he said. “I embraced that challenge, and take care of my body the way I’m supposed to.”

West Laurens, with the toughest of its regular season schedule now likely in the rearview, moves its attention to region play as Southeast Bulloch visits for its 2-AA opener on homecoming Friday night. 

“We’re getting better, and we’ve gotta apply it to the gameplan this week, and see if we can’t continue to get better and move forward,” Burdette said.