Rolesville explosive in victory over West Johnston football
Rolesville opened up conference play with a bang as the Rams went on the road and defeated West Johnston 44-14 Friday night at Wildcat Stadium.
Junior quarterback Carnaji Andrews came out on fire and helped build a 25-8 halftime lead for the visitors and the running game took over in the second half to help the Rams improve to 3-2 on the year and 1-0 in the GNRC.
West Johnston (1-4, 0-1) found some success moving the ball as Andre Wilson threw for 133 yards and a score to Deandre Blevins but four turnovers were too much to overcome.
Turning Point
The West Johnston defense clamped down after allowing Rolesville to find pay dirt on each of its first two drives and helped the Wildcats stay in the game. However, an interception late in the second quarter deep in its own end led to an Andrews rushing touchdown from 3 yards out with just 1.5 seconds remaining before halftime.
They said it
“The big thing was that they are so strong in the linebacker position that we had to come out and throw the ball,” said Rolesville coach Jermaine Evans.
Three who mattered
Carnaji Andrews, Rolesville: Andrews went 4 for 4 for 75 yards on the Rams’ opening drive of the game which ended with a 10-yard TD pass to Andrew Debernardo. Andrews finished with 324 yards passing and accounted for four touchdowns: three through the air and one on the ground.
Colby Cooper, Rolesville: The 5-foot-11 senior wide receiver was Andrews’ preferred target. Cooper consistently beat one-on-one coverage, hauled in difficult passes and made would-be tacklers miss on his way to a huge game. Cooper reeled in seven of Andrews’ passes for 151 yards and a touchdown.
Nicholas Mastroianni, West Johnston: The junior linebacker accounted for the Wildcats’ only points of the first half as he picked up a Rolesville fumble and rumbled 24 yards for the scoop-and-score. Mastroianni also blocked a Rams extra point attempt and figured in numerous tackles.
By the numbers
6: Number of consecutive passes Rolesville quarterback Carnaji Andrews opened up the game with to help lead the Rams to the early lead.
131: Number of yards rushing Rolesville’s Josh Branch contributed with 88 of those coming in the second half. Branch found the end zone twice.
181: Number of yards West Johnston quarterback Andre Wilson totaled on the night.
This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 10:25 PM with the headline "Rolesville explosive in victory over West Johnston football."