Dunwoody 14, Westminster 3

AJC, Sports, 11/04/06, by Jeff Haws


Dunwoody stifles Westminster 14-3

From the story:

The victory kept Dunwoody (6-3, 4-2 Region 5-AAA) in prime position to make the playoffs for the first time since 1998. Westminster (4-5, 4-2) needs to beat Riverwood next week and have Dunwoody and Chamblee lose in order to qualify for the postseason.

It was a win built on a "bend-but-don't-break" defensive effort. Dunwoody allowed 278 total yards but only three points.

The first two of Dunwoody's stops inside the 20 might have been the biggest of the four. Early in the first quarter, a fumble gave Westminster the ball on the Dunwoody 11, but Westminster managed three yards before making a 25-yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

The next stop came in the second quarter, after Westminster drove the ball from its own 20 to the Dunwoody 5. But on third-and-2, Cameron Ferguson intercepted a Clay Gibson pass in the end zone to end the threat.

"The defensive coaches did a great job preparing for them," Dunwoody coach James Teter said. "They just came up big on defense at key times. That interception right before the half was huge."

Ferguson's interception helped preserve a 7-3 lead, built earlier in the second quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run by Karl Evans, who had 21 carries for a game-high 93 yards.

The final score came on the opening possession of the second half, which Dunwoody took 77 yards on nine plays, highlighted by a 43-yard pass from Jeron Sykes to Malcolm Mitchell.