SMWC will have a shot at repeat Midwest Sprint Football League championships.
The Pomeroys overcame a solid defense effort by Quincy but put together a huge second half to take down the Hawks 23-13 in the semifinals of the Midwest Sprint Football.
Drake Varns' 20-yard field goal with 41 seconds to go before halftime provided all SMWC's scoring in the first half, but
Derron Hazzard produced three second-half touchdowns for SMWC.Â
"It was just a matter of settling down. We just needed to loosen up and have some fun. That's our style," coach
Blaine Powell said.
The Pomeroys went 3-and-out to start the second half, but
Di'lon Harvey forced a C.J. Jackson fumble and
Carter McKee recovered on the ensuing possession.
The defense continued to make key plays throughout, but the first big play for the offense wasn't until
Jeremiah Tosky threw a strike to
Corbyn Cleveland on a fade route down the sideline to get the Pomeroys to midfield.
"Once Corbyn made that catch, something clicked and we turned it around and played really well the rest of the game," Powell said.
Indeed.
Hazzard followed that pass play up with a 51-yard TD run, slashing through the middle of the Quincy defense to put the Pomeroys ahead 10-7.
"As soon as I got the ball, I saw a hole right in the middle," Hazzard said. "I hit it and saw two people coming down and kicked it into another gear. Split them before they got me and I had one left, shrugged it off and I was gone."
Â
Tosky and his wide receivers got SMWC out of a 3
rd-and-25 situation. He connected with
Devron Johnson for 17 yards and then Cleveland came up with a first down catch on 4
th-and-8 going into the fourth quarter.
"I just knew we had to score and I had to make a play," Cleveland said.
The fourth quarter was all Pomeroys.
Hazzard capped an 8-play drive with a 7-yard TD run to make it 17-7.
Hazzard came up with yet another big play, taking a pass in the flats from Tosky and sprinting 47 yards for a TD. The Pomeroys' 23-7 lead was all their defense needed.
"Our defense was where it's at today. Drake had the big field goal for us. I'm just real proud of the whole team and how we kept going. We didn't get down. We just kept going," Powell said.
Harvey and
Jake Skinner had eight tackles apiece. Harvey had 2 sacks and the forced fumble.
Carter McKee added a diving interception on a deep pass over the middle.
"We run so many guys in on defense, and all of them contributed. I can't say enough about them," Powell said.
The Pomeroys will play host to Calumet College of St. Joseph next Saturday at 1 p.m. in the MSFL championship game at West Vigo High School. The Pomeroys defeated the Crimson Wave in last season's title game by a score of 23-7.
"It means the world (to be at home)," Powell said. "There's so many people that put in so much work throughout the season, and for it to come down to the championship, that's where we want to be. That's where we expect to be."
Â
