Wake Forest shuts out Hoggard to advance in playoffs
Despite being a day removed from Thanksgiving, two defenses were plenty hungry in No. 1 seeded Wake Forest’s showdown with No. 4 Hoggard in the third round of the 4AA NCHSAA playoffs.
The Cougars got just enough offense to complement their dominant D in a decisive 13-0 victory.
Head coach Reggie Lucas described the shutout as “huge” against the versatile Hoggard attack.
“Hoggard gives you so many different formations we had to prepare for a lot. I didn’t know how well we were going to play,” Lucas said. “[I’m] just extremely proud of them playing hard and being in the right spots.”
The three-time defending state championship Cougars blocked a punt after a three-and-out by their defense on the game’s first possession. That gave Wake Forest the ball on the Vikings’ 9-yard line.
Hoggard’s defense came up with a big stop, holding Wake Forest to senior kicker Austin Riley’s 31-yard field goal.
Riley’s number got called again later in the half and he made a 40-yarder for a 6-0 halftime lead.
Part of the reason for the early defensive battle: Wake Forest senior quarterback Noah Douglas left the game early in the first quarter with an apparent leg injury. His replacement, junior Chad Hillman, struggled early, throwing an interception in the red zone to Hoggard defensive back Jaylin Allen.
Hillman found some confidence after halftime with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Kahlil Watson on a long third-and-30. He finished 4 of 10 passing for 77 yards the TD.
In desperate need of a spark, the Vikings replaced quarterback Sam Jones with Gabe Johnson at halftime. But even his presence wasn’t enough to put points on the board. A Cougar interception with 2:29 left in the game ended Hoggard’s comeback hopes.
RECORDS: Wake Forest ( 12-1 ), Hoggard ( 6-6 )
THREE WHO MATTERED:
(Wake Forest - Austin Riley) The senior kicker was the Cougars’ hero as his two field goals would be the only points of the first half.
(Wake Forest/Hoggard- defenses) “Bending but not Breaking” is a term to describe both defenses in the first half as neither team gave up a touchdown. Wake Forest’s defense earned the shutout.
(Wake Forest- Chad Hillman) The junior quarterback entered with no passing attempts this season. He finished 4 of 10 and threw the game’s lone touchdown.
WORTH MENTIONING
Wake Forest has now won 86 of their last 89 games.
Wake Forest senior quarterback Noah Douglas is likely to be out for the remainder of the playoffs, according to Lucas.
Scoring Summary
WF- 31-yard field goal from Austin Riley
WF- 40-yard field goal from Austin Riley
WF- 45-yard pass from Chad Hillman to Kahlil Watson (Riley kick)
This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 11:09 PM.