FLORENCE, S.C. — The “Keshawn Johnson” show was in full force on West Florence’s Knight Stadium field.
The senior took over at quarterback after starter Avery Weaver was injured. Then, Johnson passed for 228 yards and four touchdowns during West’s 41-0 win over Wilson. It was the Knights’ final contest before entering Region 5-5A play this Friday at Lugoff-Elgin.
“Keshawn was absolutely incredible on offense,” said Jody Jenerette, West’s coach. “He’s the guy who gets it done for us on the offensive side of the ball. Receivers caught the ball. It was a fun night to be a Knight.”
But Johnson was not the lone Knight to have a fun night. Receiver Jay’Aun Perkins caught three passes for a total of 101 yards and two touchdowns. Terry Lowery, meanwhile, had 83 receiving yards and a score of his own.
After losing 23-16 in the opener to South Florence, West (2-1) outscored Marion and Wilson by a combined total of 88-0.
“I think our defense is starting to figure it out,” Jenerette said.
Here are five things that stood out from Friday’s game:
1. KESHAWN’S KEY: Johnson last played quarterback for Snead Middle School and was a primarily a receiver last year.
Still a receiver, Johnson proved he can also step in quite comfortably behind center.
“Keshawn can do anything,” Jenerette said of Johnson, also the punter and holder for field-goal attempts. “Avery got a little bumped up a bit. We love Avery (who scored the Knights’ first TD Friday) because that gives us Keshawn at wide receiver. But Keshawn is as good a football player as I’ve ever coached. He loves ball and is just a winner. He’s just the kind of guy we want to keep in our program. If we could have multiple Keshawns, that would be great.”
Johnson found Perkins on touchdown passes of 66 and 5 yards (the latter was a diving catch on fourth and goal), and he completed a 38-yard scoring pass to Terry Lowery Jr.
West put Johnson back at receiver late in Friday’s game.
But not for long.
Johnson returned to quarterback for one more play and completed a 16-yard TD pass to Gage Herring.
“I got into a rhythm pretty easily if you ask me,” Johnson said. “I was just ready to step up and was just ready for the moment.”
With Weaver questionable for the Lugoff-Elgin game, Johnson could be back at quarterback.
“It’s probably high right now,” Jenerette said of Johnson’s chances of starting against the Demons. “I don’t foresee Avery being able to play at this moment (Jenerette said it was an upper-body injury). Avery is tough; let’s see where he’s at next week.”
2. PERKINS PERKS WF: After making two catches for 67 yards and a touchdown last week against Marion, Perkins broke Friday’s game open after catching a Johnson pass near midfield. Perkins then won the footrace to the end zone after that catch for a 66-yard score, and West had a 14-0 lead.
“He’s a great target. He’s big and has a great body frame to him,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy I know that if I throw it up, he can go get it.”
Chemistry between receiver and quarterback is vital, and Perkins thinks Johnson has that.
“He’s a leader, loves his teammates and loves to play football here,” Perkins said. “His teammates trust him and believe in him. He’s the heart and soul of our program. And he throws a really good football and it’s really catchable.”
3. SHUTOUT CONTINUES: Which is more impressive? West’s 88 combined points during the past two weeks or that zero on the other side of the scoring margin.
We’ve talked about the offense, so it’s the defense’s turn. It’s a defense that recorded six sacks Friday.
“We knew we were going to be good on defense early in the season,” Jenerette said. “But we didn’t know we would be this good. But our guys run and are physical and they will strike you. It’s been extremely cool to watch how these guys run and hit people. If you run and hit when it gets cold, you’ve got a chance to win a lot of games.”
West defensive back Clayton Folse intercepted his second pass of the season Friday and returned that for the game’s final touchdown. Jenerette said he’s also impressed with nose guard Jamie Williamson.
“Jamie Williamson is the best player in South Carolina right now,” Jenerette said. “If there is anybody better, I’d like to see him. He also plays at right tackle on the offensive side. We’re a 5A program and he plays on both sides of the ball. So, he’s an impressive kid.”
4. LOOKING FOR A SPARK: Wilson interim coach Darryl Page changed quarterbacks at halftime, substituting Tristian Howard for Tamaury Echols.
“We saw some energy, saw some effort by the kids, effort by Tristian,” Page said of that halftime QB change. “We tried to do everything we could to at least put points on the board and at least make it look a little better. Our kids played hard, and I commend them for never quitting.”
Page was then asked if Howard made a case to start next week’s Region 5-5A opener against Lakewood.
“I have to look at the film to evaluate,” Page said. “We’ve got two quarterbacks we feel are capable. Both have to play better in order for us to have an opportunity to win going into the region.”
5. RUSHING WOES: Tiger running backs like Ti’monti Emanuel did not find much room to run. Page and his staff will continue to try and expand that.
“We’ve got to improve the effort and work on the offensive line,” Page said. “Offense is going to be as good as you are up front. And the defense is going to be as good as you are up front. We know those are areas we need to work on. So, we are going to work on those as we get ready for our region schedule.”
September 14, 2024 | Morning News (Florence, SC)
Author/Byline: Scott Chancey | Section: Sports