By Kris Freeman
White House Football

The White House Blue Devils found the switch Friday night to turn the lights back on, rallying from an early 8-0 deficit to control Sycamore on Homecoming for a 28-14 victory.

Justin West, in his first game back since injuring his knee against Portland, rushed 25 times for 177 yards and three touchdowns as White House evened its record overall and in Region 4-3A (3-3, 1-1), and broke a two-game losing streak. Sycamore fell to 3-3, 0-3.

The War Eagles marched 80 yards on three plays to open the game, using a pair of magic tricks for the early score. Austin Lohin found John Clanton on a quick slant on the first play of the game, but Clanton turned and pitched the ball to a sprinting Zach Holden for 41 more yards. Two plays later, Matt Carrigan hit Holden on a 33-yard halfback pass and then Lohin found Willie Vanderford on the fake PAT pass for an 8-0 edge.

The Blue Devils responded with a 13-play drive, with West scoring on a 13-yard dive into the endzone, and Dustin Townsend hitting DeMarqus Payne for the two-point conversion and 8-8 tie.

White House took control of the game in the second quarter and never looked back, controlling the football for 35 of 48 minutes and amassing 357 total yards and 23 first downs, never punting.

"That drive did a lot for our intensity, motivation and emotion," said West, who has rushed for over 150 yards in all four games he has played this senior season. "After they (Sycamore) came out with the trickery, we felt like we had to come out and drive the ball and we had the endzone on our mind."

The Blue Devils held Sycamore in check the remainder of the first half, and the critical swing play came just before the intermission, when Lohin was pressured by Zack Duty and intercepted by Matt Parker at midfield, then West bolted 49 yards on the next play for his third touchdown of the half and a 25-8 lead.

"They ran the flea-flicker and a halfback pass and really caught us off guard with something we had not seen," said defensive coordinator James Honeycutt. "But we told them at halftime we were really proud of the way they came back out and responded on offense to put a score on the board.

"The play right before the half was big because when you can score like that, you can take the air out of a football team. It was a big boost for us going into the locker room."

White House head coach Jeff Porter was pleased to see the improved effort of his players on Friday night, including the poise following an early deficit.

"I was just encouraged to see our kids respond to the opening drive," Porter explained. "I think completing a pass on fourth down (Townsend to DeMarqus Payne) may have been the biggest point in the game because Justin scored on the next play.

"But big plays are a part of the game, too, and those are things we just can't give up. We did tonight and we paid the price and our kids bounced back well."

White House marched 11 plays and 55 yards to start the third quarter, but Townsend was intercepted by Clanton inside the Sycamore five yard line. But the defense held strong, and Jake Hunter added his second 37-yard field goal of the night in the fourth quarter to build a 28-8 lead, before Sycamore scored on another big play - 76 yards from Carrigan to Lohin, who leaped and caught the ball at midfield before outrunning the defenders to the endzone. The kick failed for a 28-14 final tally, as White House ran out the clock inside the Sycamore red zone.

For White House, it was a stellar performance after two lackluster losses to Macon County and Beech - and the first win for the Blue Devils since beating Portland on the road in week three. White House welcomes Pearl-Cohn next week, as the Firebirds come into the game sitting atop the region with Station Camp, unblemished in 4-3A action.

"We challenged them all week long and tried to turn this game into a playoff atmosphere," said Honeycutt. "We were down a region game and we had to treat it as a playoff game to get back into the hunt.

"We got some confidence going and it gives the kids something to build upon and a chance to line up again and get better," he added. "We have another chance next week to take a step toward making the playoffs and that is a goal of this team every year."

Sycamore, on the other hand, is facing an uphill climb, nearly eliminated from playoff contention with three region losses. The War Eagles would have to win out, and hope for some good bounces to have a chance to get in.

The Firebirds beat White House last season, 14-7 in Nashville, and won in their only trip to White House several years ago, 20-10, as both teams were a member of Region 6-4A.

As for Friday, the Blue Devils took control of the game with efficiency and will be hoping for more Friday night.

White House converted 6-of-13 third downs and all three times on fourth down, completing 9-of-11 passes for 105 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Townsend had one of the better nights of his career, hitting DeMarrius Payne for three receptions, and Matt Parker and Joe Mayhew each with two.

White House held the ball for 34:40 and ran 65 offensive plays to the War Eagles' 31.