Deerfield-Windsor wallops Holy Spirit Prep

ALBANY — The Deerfield-Windsor Knights made easy work of the Holy Prep Academy Cougars Friday night at Webb Memorial Stadium with a 42-19 win in the opening round of the GISA Class AAA playoffs.

The victory propels DWS (9-3) into the second round to face Gatewood Academy, who advanced by beating Frederica Academy 14-3 also on Friday. That game will be played at Webb Memorial Stadium.

The Knights dominated the Cougars on both sides of the ball. The Holy Spirit Prep offense converted one first down in the first half, while the DWS offense was slicing off thick slabs of real estate, racking up 384 yards in the first half as senior quarterback Tyler Lowe passed for 222 yards and spread the ball to multiple players.

Junior tight end John Samuel Shenker hauled in four catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback Cameron McCook caught one pass for 42, Trey Young hauled in one for a 10-yard gain and Nick Wendland caught a 34-yard touchdown pass.

In the Knights’ opening drive, Lowe hit McCook in the flat who rumbled for a gain of 42 yards. Then Lowe found Shenker for 25 more to the Cougar one-yard line. Tailback Howell Logan cleaned up the drive for the first score of the night with 7:13 to play in the first. Lanier Freeman added the first of six extra points on the night and DWS led 7-0.

After DWS linebacker Michael Perrine, end Ellis Gill and tackle McCook shut down the Cougars’ next possession, the Knights took the ball over again at the DWS 32. Lowe then led a five-play, 68-yard scoring drive. He hit Shenker for 17, handed off to Wendland for 26, then McCook toted it 18 yards before Lowe finally hit Shenker for a 25-yard scoring pass with 4:07 remaining in the first quarter. Freeman again added the point after for a 14-0 lead.

The next DWS drive covered 56 yards on four plays and ended with Shenker’s second scoring catch with 1:46 remaining in the first quarter.

The two teams exchanged turnovers on the next two series before Lowe hit Wendland for the 34-yard scoring pass with 6:31 remaining in the second quarter.

Ellis Darby scored the final touchdown of the first half on an 18-yard run with 3:13 to play in the second. DWS carried a 35-0 lead into the half.

“We came out without a lot of energy tonight, but managed to play well enough to advance,” Deerfield-Windsor coach Allen Lowe said.

Gatewood finished the regular season with a 5-5 record before topping Frederica. As long as DWS wins they will continue to enjoy home-field advantage through the semifinals. The finals are played at Mercer University in Macon.

“Gatewood is another option team, and they are well-coached. We will need to bring more intensity next week,” Lowe said.