Wright Tosses 5 TDs to Lead Gray Collegiate over North Augusta

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WEST COLUMBIA |</strong> Anyone in attendance for the Top 10 showdown between host Gray Collegiate and North Augusta on a rainy, wet Friday night witnessed two of the better individual performances of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When it was all said and done, GCA freshman quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1623307' first='Xavier' last='Wright']</strong> had the final say in his back-and-forth duel with NA senior running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402503' first='Mike' last='Doe']</strong> as the War Eagles used a dominant second half to pull away for a 41-27 victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All Wright did in making just his second varsity start was throw for 376 yards and 5 touchdowns, with three of them covering 50 yards or more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I went against our varsity defense last year when I played JV so going against these great defenses, it's not really hard because I've practiced against them,” Wright said. “My coaches and my teammates talked to me all week to stay calm.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wright (pictured) started in place of the injured <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='232668' first='Tyler' last='Waller']</strong>, and he made a case for extended playing time even when Waller returns. Wright stood tall behind an offensive line that included <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422610' first='Jack' last='Armstrong']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824178' first='Trey' last='Johnson']</strong> and <strong>Kinnon Lawrimore</strong> and continuously exploited the middle of the field for long throws.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gray Collegiate (3-2) trailed 20-10 late in the second quarter but Wright found <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1319663' first='Royce' last='Williamson']</strong> for a 29-yard TD pass with just 52 seconds remaining in the half to make it 20-17.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The War Eagles then took the second half kickoff and marched 60 yards in seven plays to take the lead for good when Wright found a wide-open <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473012' first='JP' last='Sweatt']</strong> in the back of the end zone on an 8-yard strike.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Augusta (5-1) was forced to punt on its first possession and pinned Gray at the 1-yard line. It took Wright and crew three plays to score with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1647592' first='Corey' last='Gleaton']</strong> breaking free on a 91-yard TD strike right down the middle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Their safeties kept moving wide so we kept hitting them with deep crosses,” Wright said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellow Jackets fumbled the ensuing kickoff that <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395040' first='Royal' last='Williamson']</strong> recovered and added to their lead with a <strong>Weston Mims</strong> 26-yard field goal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Doe scored his third rushing touchdown of the night on a six-yard sprint around the left end to pull North Augusta within 34-27 with 2:26 remaining in the third quarter. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1827442' first='AJ' last='Hillary']</strong> connected with <strong>Cam Frazier</strong> on a 65-yard pass play to set up the score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But the Gray defense, led by Sweatt and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473010' first='Michael' last='Boulware']</strong>, did a much better job on Doe and company in the second half. Doe finished with 329 yards rushing on 30 carries but had 252 yards on 21 attempts at the half. Once the Yellow Jackets fell behind, they had to rely on the passing game more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“(Doe) is a tremendous running back and he did a lot of good things, but we knew he was one of the keys in the second half that we had to stop,” Gray Collegiate coach De'Angelo Bryant said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Royce Willamson caught the final TD, a 50-yard bomb that made it 41-27 and allowed the War Eagles to outscore North Augusta 31-7 over the final 25 minutes of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“My challenge to the guys was to stop leaving money on the table,” Bryant said. “We had to cash our check and that's exactly what we did in the second half.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wright finished with TD passes of 50, 29, 8, 91 and 50 yards. Gleaton was his favorite target with five catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns with [player_tooltip player_id='1319663' first='Royce' last='Williamson'] adding four catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='1319663' first='Royce' last='Williamson'] ended the final Yellow Jackets threat with an interception with less than two minutes remaining.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williamson wasn't surprised at what Wright accomplished.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I love (Xavier). He's got talent, he's got the IQ, he has what it takes to be a great quarterback in the future. When I heard he was stepping up for Tyler going down, I wasn't really worried,” Williamson said. “Coming out here and doing what he does wasn't anything new for him.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>GRAY COLLEGIATE NOTES</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mims connected on two field goals from 27 and 26 yards, but he was a weapon all night. His kickoffs sailed into the end zone, forcing North Augusta to start every drive after a score from its own 20-yard line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824176' first='Kaleb' last='Holmes']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820286' first='Tye' last='Rivers']</strong> along with <strong>Carson Cartwright</strong> played well in the second half after having the unsteady first half against the run. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036777' first='Trevon' last='Williamson']</strong> finished with 64 yards rushing on 22 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>&nbsp;<strong><em>NORTH AUGUSTA NOTES</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kicker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1839890' first='Jacob' last='Degennaro']</strong> made field goals from 42 and 37 yards, but his range looked to be about 50 yards on both kicks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1536398' first='Simeon' last='Jones']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1214944' first='Davion' last='McKinnis']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1811107' first='Javon' last='Ryans']</strong> played well against the run, limiting Gray Collegiate to 87 yards on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->