By HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD, Journal Sports
You have to go all the way back to the second to last game of the 2019 season to find Southwood’s last victory. To say the Cowboys were looking forward to ending the 17-game losing streak would be an understatement.
So just imagine how excited they were to arrive at Northwood’s Jerry Burton Stadium to take on the Green Oaks Giants in their season-opener Friday night.
They couldn’t wait to take the field. Then they had to.
A two-hour lightning delay kept the teams in the locker room – waiting.
“It was tough,” Dontravious Williams said of the wait. “It was hot in there and we were anxious.”
Two-and-a-half hours later, Williams gave the Cowboys what they had been waiting for when he caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Cornilus Martin with 1:23 left in the game to give Southwood a 14-12 victory over Green Oaks.
Southwood got the ball on the Green Oaks 35-yard line with just over two minutes left after an 8-yard punt by Green Oaks. Four plays later, Martin found Williams on an outside fade for the game-winner.
In addition to the game-clincher, Williams had a 29-yard touchdown grab on Southwood’s first possession of the second half to put the Cowboys up 8-0. He finished the game with three catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns.
“Coach said, ‘Go make a play,’” Williams said of his game-winning catch.
That wasn’t his last catch, however. When Green Oaks quarterback Tovoras Lee heaved a fourth-and-nine pass from the Giants’ 47-yard line on the final play of the game, it was Williams who came down with the interception to really seal the victory.
Both teams battled the mud and an excess of penalties for the first 20 minutes of the game. Then, with five minutes to go in the first half, it looked like Southwood would break the scoreless tie when the Cowboys had fourth-and-goal at the one following an 11-play, 48-yard drive.
Green Oaks made the goal-line stand but gave up a safety on the next play from scrimmage when the snap sailed over the head of quarterback Tovoras Lee.
The Giants battled through a tough third quarter – turning the ball over on fumbles on their first three possessions. With six seconds left in the third, Delarrious Marshall scored on a 2-yard run put Green Oaks on the board.
Green Oaks took a 12-8 lead with just over eight minutes left in the game when Lee hit Amarion Dorsey with a 23-yard touchdown pass. Neither the Giants nor the Cowboys could convert any of their 2-point conversions.
“It was tough out there in the mud,” said Southwood running back Melvin Coleman, who had 23 carries for 50 yards.
Southwood’s Corinthian Walters led all rushers with 77 yards on 17 carries. Marshall led Green Oaks with 65 yards on 13 carries.
Like the Cowboys, the Giants were trying to end a long winless streak (their lone win last season was by forfeit). Their last victory on the field came in the final regular-season game in 2020.
Despite the loss, Green Oaks coach Chadwick Lewis was optimistic about his young team.
“Penalties and turnovers – if we take care of those things, we win the game,” said Lewis. “But that’s what you want in a game, for it to go down to the wire.”
“I’m just glad we stayed up (after going down 12-8),” said Southwood coach Jesse Esters. “Our guys kept their heads up. They wanted it so bad.”
Southwood (1-0) plays host to Woodlawn at Independence Stadium in Week 2 while Green Oaks (0-1) will be at Carroll.
Contact Harriet at sbjharriet@gmail.com
Southwood 14, Green Oaks 12
Score by quarters
Southwood | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | – 14
Green Oaks | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | – 12
Scoring summary
Sw – safety
Sw – Dontravious Williams 29 pass from Cornilus Martin (run failed)
Go – Delarrious Marshall 2 run (run failed)
Go – Amarion Dorsey 23 pass from Tovoras Lee (pass failed)
Sw – Williams 35 pass from Martin (run failed)
Individual leaders
Rushing – Southwood (43-97), Walters 17-77, Coleman 23-50, Martin 3-(-30). Green Oaks (23-65), Marshall 13-65, Lee 10-0.
Passing – Southwood (6-13-0-84), Martin 6-13-0-84. Green Oaks (3-14-3-50), Lee 3-14-3-50.
Receiving – Southwood, Williams 3-67, Javien Markray 2-7, Detonion Arkansas 1-10. Green Oaks, Dorsey 1-23, Fred’Travious Benajmin 1-13, Marshall 1-14.
Photo by JOHN PENROD, Journal Sports