Conway defense dominates Spring Valley in second-round victory
In the playoffs, there is no wrong way to win. For Conway, two first-quarter touchdowns and a dominating defense led the way for a 14-0 victory over Spring Valley in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs on Friday.
The Tigers (8-4) came into the game looking to stop a strong Spring Valley (9-4) option running attack and an offense that scored more than 30 points per game this season. The Vikings had also not been held scoreless all season, but struggled to sustain drives throughout the night.
“I give all the credit to our defensive coaches and our kids, because that team was averaging 32 points a game or something like that and we shut them down,” said Conway coach Chuck Jordan. “We created a few turnovers in the process. You’ve just got to win however you can in the playoffs – sometimes it’s going to be offense or the kicking game – tonight we played lights-out defense.”
In the first quarter, Conway turned a Spring Valley fumble into a touchdown, taking over on the Viking 38-yard line. The Tigers used a balanced attack, running for 27 yards before quarterback Peyton Derrick found Malachi Miller from 11 yards out for a touchdown. On the following drive, Spring Valley drove from its own 37-yard line, then was forced to punt after a defensive stand by Conway. With the ball downed on the Conway 2 yard line, the Tiger offense went to work. After using two running backs to get breathing room from their own goal line, Derrick took off for a 69 yard touchdown run.
“Where the game is dictates a lot of what you’re trying to do,” Jordan said of his offense. “We knew that our defense was playing so well that we weren’t going to take any risks on offense. That’s the bottom line. If we would have needed to take some risks, we would have.”
Conway’s defense held Spring Valley to 36 rushing yards in the second half and just 146 in the contest on 43 carries. Conway rushed for 189 yards and a touchdown, with Derrick accounting for 111 yards on the ground and 205 passing yards.
“I think any team that makes a deep playoff run has got to continue to define themselves as a unit as the year goes on,” Jordan said. “That’s what I’ve seen this team do a little bit. There are so many variables to making a deep playoff run and the team has to adapt.”
Next up for Conway is a date with Fort Dorchester on the road in the third round, something Jordan is looking forward to.
“(Playing on the road) doesn’t change anything; I think the game is played between the lines,” he said. “I’ve always been a purist in that respect. It’s playoff football. What you’ve got to do is play every snap and never give up. I’ve seen some crazy things over the years, when you’re down and out and then something good happens and changes everything.”
Spring Valley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
Conway | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 |
First quarter
CON – Peyton Derrick 11-yard pass to Malachi Miller (Will Smith kick) 7:34
CON – Derrick 69-yard run (Smith kick) 00:36
Individual leaders
Rushing: Jaylon Morris 7-23; Keandre Jones 7-17; Paul Stokes 6-18; London Thompson 4-8; Quincy Hill 8-23; Deprince Haynes 6-25; Shaun Moore 2-31; Dj Skelton 3-1. Total 43-146. CON: Deandre Huggins 11-26; Derrick 12-111 TD; Tyrek Weaver 5-52. Total 28-189 TD.
Passing: SV: Hill 2-7-10-0-1; Skelton 2-4-18-0-1. CON: Derrick 11-22-205-1-1.
Receiving: SV: Kiyon Nelson 1-7; Marcus Simpson 1-3; Jones 1-11; Cam Thomas 1-7. CON: Malachi Miller 2-26 TD; Juwan Moody 3-38; Willie Brantley 2-85; Huggins 3-54; Darren Stanley 1-2.
This story was originally published November 25, 2016 at 11:48 PM with the headline "Conway defense dominates Spring Valley in second-round victory."