Westover defense stifles Dougherty

ALBANY — Game two of the Good Life City Showdown started off competitive but ended with Westover pulling away from Dougherty in the second half and getting a big 40-13 win.

The Patriots’ defense took care of business from start to finish. From stopping Dougherty’s first two drives at the goal ine to forcing and recovering three fumbles in the fourth quarter, head coach Octavia Jones said the defense carried out the task of eliminating big Dougherty plays.

“The defense did exactly what we told them to do,” Jones said. “We had to make sure we took away the big play from them. We bent, but we didn’t break. I think they did a great job of digging in down there at the goal line and staying focused and keeping them out of the endzone.”

Dougherty head coach Corey Joyner said the Patriots’ defensive line game his team some problems.

“We just couldn’t get no push,” Joyner said. “Their defensive line, we let them in our backfield, and we’ve just got to do a better job when we get down there.”

The Patriots (2-1) went into the halftime break with a 13-7 lead. Dougherty tied the game up after a 5-yard run by Judah Cohen and a blocked extra point attempt, but the Patriots answered with a drive that led to another Sanders touchdown and a 45-yard scoring play from Jonathon Mock to put the Patriots up 27-13 at the end of the third.

Westover quarterback Jordan Walton added a 3-yard touchdown run at the start of the fourth quarter, and the Patriots sailed to victory from there.

For Jones, a game against a crosstown rival was the perfect tune-up before getting into the meat of their schedule, with GHSA Region 1-4A play beginning next Friday at Hugh Mills Stadium against Americus-Sumter.

“It was our last tune-up game going into region play, and I told the guys it was important to get off to a good start,” Jones said. “It’s good momentum going into region.”

Joyner, meanwhile, said it’s easier for Dougherty (1-3) to get past the loss because of the positives he has seen in the non-region contests.

The Trojans host Spencer at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

“It’s still not region play,” Joyner said. “I still see improvement on the team, and I still see areas that we can improve on. We’ve got a long way to go, but the journey is not over yet.”