South Johnston rolls into football playoffs with win over Smithfield-Selma
South Johnston used a balanced offense and a big edge in special teams to roll to a 49-8 victory over Smithfield-Selma on Friday night.
The Trojans (7-4, 2-3 Two Rivers 3A Conference) got three touchdown passes from Landen Lockamy, two touchdown runs from Kavante Johnson and returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns.
“I thought all three phases played well,” South Johnston coach Hunter Jenks said. “We forced turnovers, special teams had two scores and we scored running and passing. There were some things we wanted to clean up going into the playoffs and I thought the kids responded well.
“I was pleased.”
South Johnston, which snapped a three-game losing streak, grabbed a 28-0 lead after just one quarter against the winless Spartans (0-11, 0-5).
South Johnston showed the diversity of its game right away – scoring first on a 1-yard run from Johnson, getting a 45-yard touchdown pass from Lockamy to Fabian McDonald and a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown from McDonald to grab a 21-0 lead.
The first two scores came after fumble recoveries, one on a kickoff. South Johnson used a “sky kick” – a short high kick on kickoffs – to its advantage, twice jumping on loose balls in the first half to set up touchdowns.
Lockamy completed seven of 11 passes for 124 yards and had TD passes of 45, 18 and 14 yards in the first half, which ended with South Johnston up 42-0.
“We focused on (passing) this week,” Jenks said. “In order for us to go as far in the playoffs as we would like, it is something that needs to become a strength.”
For Smithfield-Selma, the highlight of the night came late when quarterback Austin Blackmon sneaked in from the 1. Kevin Ponce ran in the 2-point conversion, setting off a celebration on the sidelines.
“At the end of the game, we had told them if they scored that we were going to get Kevin Ponce in,” Smithfield-Selma coach Wes Hill said. “He’s our Like Skills guy. They were like, ‘Let’s do it for Ponce.’ They just have big hearts.
“We didn’t win on the scoreboard, but these guys are winners in life and they are going to do well as they move forward.”
Turning point
The first quarter set the tone for South Johnston’s big victory, with touchdowns coming on the ground, through the air and on special teams. The Trojans also grabbed the first two of their three turnovers in the opening period.
They said it
“We’ll be on the road (in the first round of the playoffs),” South Johnston coach Hunter Jenks said. “Honestly, I think we play better on the road. We’ll see who we draw and go from there.”
Three who mattered
Kavante Johnson, South Johnston: The speedy junior running back picked up 135 yards on just 14 carries and ran for a pair of touchdowns. He averaged nearly 10 yards per carry.
Landen Lockamy, South Johnston: The junior quarterback was on target all night, completing seven of 11 passes for three touchdowns. The longest was a 45-yarder to Fabian McDonald in the first quarter, but the most impressive was a perfectly-timed slant pass for 14 yards to Javonte Smith.
Tyquan Dublin, Smithfield-Selma: The 195-pound junior was a workhorse for the Spartans, rushing for 95 yards on 17 carries.
This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 11:38 PM with the headline "South Johnston rolls into football playoffs with win over Smithfield-Selma."