ROME, GA—The Sequoyah Chiefs entered Barron Stadium on Friday night carrying a 2-0 Region 6-6A record and featuring a throw-back Wing-T offense that had given other opponents fits.
Rome coaches worked all week preparing the Wolves’ defense to play assignment football and shifted a couple of strategies for the squad which had forced nine turnovers in the previous two contests.
The strategies worked, as the defense held Sequoyah to less than 50 total yards on the evening and allowed the Chiefs to achieve only two first downs in the game, as the Wolves moved to 3-0 in the region with a 52-0 win against the Chiefs on homecoming.
“The Wing-T is a total oddity to what they (the defense) normally play against. They had to hunker down and do some things they’re not used to doing,” Reid said. “There wasn’t a lot of pass rushing and we’re pretty good at that. They had to sacrifice some things and play good, hard-nosed, old fashion football.”
The defense did just that, forcing Sequoyah to punt six times in the first half, allowing only three total yards of offense for the Chiefs and not allowing a single first down before halftime.
As the defense shut down the Chiefs and their offense, Rome’s offense took advantage of good field position and scored on its first five possessions of the contest.
Rome running back Jaedon Harmon, who finished the evening with 103 rushing yards on 13 carries while scoring three rushing touchdowns, scored Rome’s first two touchdowns of the evening, staking the Wolves to an early 14-0 lead.
Rome quarterback Reece Fountain, who was almost perfect on the night, completing 16 of 17 pass attempts for 209 yards and two touchdowns found tight end Josh Ellard for a 13-yard touchdown pass to up the lead to 21-0 in the second quarter.
Tailback Chance Arthur scored next on a five-yard touchdown run and kicker Diego Cordon closed out the first half scoring with a 28-yard field goal, handing the Wolves a 31-0 halftime lead.
“I think we are getting a little better. I thought we had a good week of practice, and I think we’re getting a little bit of momentum,” Rome coach John Reid said. “I was happy, because I thought that they (Sequoyah) showed some tough offensive ability against River Ridge. They were unbeaten in the region, so I was concerned and should have been. The kids took that concern and put it into the game plan.”
The offense kept rolling in the second half.
Harmon scored his final touchdown of the night early in the third quarter, and Fountain hit Martavious Collins for a 27-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to extend the Rome lead to 45-0.
Rome running back Chris Smith finished off the scoring on a three-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter to up the score to 52-0.
Rome’s defense actually had a tough test early in the third quarter after a long kickoff return set Sequoyah up at the Wolves’ 34-yard line. The Chiefs managed to get two first downs and move down to the three-yard line for a first and goal opportunity.
The next three rushing plays resulted in no gain, a one yard loss and a two yard loss, forcing the Chiefs to settle for a field goal attempt which Rome then promptly blocked preserving the shut out on the scoreboard.
The win moves Rome to 6-1 overall on the season and 3-0 in Region 6-6A play. Entering the night, Rome was one of three teams with an unblemished region record. The Wolves handed Sequoyah its first region loss. Creekview, which was also 2-0 in the region, lost in overtime to River Ridge, meaning Rome is the lone remaining region team without a loss.
“It’s great to be 3-0 in the region going into a bye week,” Reid said. “We have to prepare for another tough opponent (River Ridge) on the road, so that will be difficult.”
Rome is off this week and returns to action on Friday, Oct. 21 when they travel to play River Ridge (5-2, 2-1).
Although Rome has a bye this coming week, Reid noted the squad will still be doing plenty of work.
“We want to keep special teams tuned, keep everything tuned up and install the things we need to install for the next couple of opponents,” Reid said. “And we want to try to get a head start on our next opponent River Ridge.”
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