If the Beach defense knew what was coming, it wasn’t going to matter. Windsor Forest was going to run the play anyway.
The Knights’ most effective offensive strategy on Friday night was to have junior quarterback Jayden Martin run the ball.
“Most definitely,” said Willie Martin, Windsor Forest’s first-year head coach and Jayden’s father. “I know he’s dynamic with the ball in his hands. He gives us a high chance of winning football games. With the game on the line, he’s going to have the ball 99% of the time.”
Actually, it was every time the Knights took over on offense after stopping the Bulldogs on a fourth-down running play in overtime. Starting at the 15, Jayden Martin ran 6 yards on a keeper. The next play, he picked up a bad shotgun snap and darted his way for 7 yards to the 2.
After Beach called a timeout, Martin took the snap and ran right, powering through a tackler and reaching out to hit the pylon in the front right corner of the end zone. The dramatic touchdown secured Windsor Forest’s 20-14 victory in the season opener for both teams at Islands High School’s stadium.
“I was most concerned about getting a stop on defense,” Jayden Martin said. “I knew we were going to score. I was telling the defense the whole time, if we get the stop, then we’re going to score and win the game, and that’s what we did.”
Martin, who was on defense at free safety and intercepted a pass in the third quarter, finished with 12 carries for 100 yards (including sacks) and two touchdowns. He also completed 15 of 27 passes for 177 yards, including a 19-yard TD to Jaimeer Duncan.
It was a special night for the Martin family, as Willie Martin won in his debut as a varsity head football coach. The Georgia native spent the last six seasons as offensive coordinator at Crestwood High School in Sumter, S.C., where Jayden played the past two seasons at wide receiver and either cornerback or safety.
“I’m proud of him,” said Jayden Martin, a full-time quarterback in eighth grade for the Crestwood junior varsity. “He waited his whole life to be here, to be a head coach. To go out there and get the first win with him, that’s a blessing.”
His father said, “It was amazing. I’m excited about the win. We earned this win. We’ve been working hard since this summer.”
The Knights started strong in a game marred all night by flourishes of penalties on both teams and missed opportunities – not unusual for season openers.
Windsor Forest overcame several fruitless plays on the opening drive with a 35-yard completion for first-and-10 at the Beach 24. After Martin handed off on the next play for no gain, he kept the ball himself on a sprint to the end zone with 10:28 remaining in the first quarter.
“After we scored on the first drive, I thought we were going to go out there and put it on them and blow them out, but things happen,” he said.
The Bulldogs responded with a 44-yard bomb from quarterback Jayvion Williams to Willie Mayes to the Knights’ 41, but the defense forced a punt.
The Knights drove from their 36 to the Bulldogs’ 19, where on fourth-and-5, Martin lobbed a short pass to the speedy Duncan, who made an over-the-shoulder catch and juked past multiple defenders to score a touchdown for 14-0 with 1:18 left in the opening quarter.
“When we scored the first touchdown, I thought maybe we would have a chance to run away with this game,” Willie Martin said. “(The Bulldogs) are a resilient bunch. They fought hard. They gave us a tough battle.”
Beach took the ensuing kickoff to its own 12, then drove 88 yards to close to 14-7 with 5:50 before halftime. Like the Knights, the Bulldogs depend on their quarterback’s arm and legs. Williams mixed short passes with runs on the drive, taking the ball himself from 13 yards out and fighting through tacklers for the score.
Windsor Forest had a chance to regain a two-score cushion, but a whistle blew while 5-foot-8 running back Duncan was enclosed by a pile at the line of scrimmage, only for him to emerge and dash the remaining yards for a negated 18-yard TD with 1:44 before halftime.
On the same drive, Martin lobbed a beautiful pass to the back of the end zone, but receiver Kamari Duncan couldn’t hold on. He displayed sticky fingers, however, on defense on the next series, as Williams’ pass deflected off his receiver’s hands and Duncan snagged the interception.
Beach’s Jordan Brito, however, intercepted Martin at the Bulldogs’ 5 just 20 seconds before halftime.
The third quarter was scoreless, though Martin did have a 23-yard TD run negated by a penalty, and Windsor Forest missed a 34-yard field-goal attempt.
Beach began to get the ball more to bruising senior running back Jordan Newton, and he racked up three first downs on a 23-yard screen pass, a 5-yard run off tackle and a 27-yard rush when he plowed over defenders.
The Bulldogs didn’t get the break they needed until the Knights’ special teams flubbed a punt snap, resulting in the punter being tackled at his 31. Newton ran 6 yards on first down, and Williams slashed through the defense on second down for a 25-yard score. A sketchy snap and hold was secured long enough for Joseph Phillips to deliver the game-tying extra point with 5:35 left in regulation.
“It was a hard-fought game against Beach,” Willie Martin said. “That’s a heck of a player, that quarterback (Williams) is really hard to get on the ground. No. 4 (Newton) is a big dude; he rumbles down the field. We worked hard for this. The guys put forth a lot of effort and we got the win.”
Williams finished 6-of-12 passing for 100 yards and two interceptions, but he gave the Bulldogs a chance to win in regulation with a bomb to the end zone with 8 seconds left that was broken up. The senior also rushed 18 times for 101 yards (including sacks) and two touchdowns.
The Bulldogs, who, like the Knights, had players dealing with cramping and some got hurt, had a chance in overtime to take the lead. But two runs totaled 6 yards, and after Williams’ incomplete pass, Newton took a direct snap and moved the pile but was stopped short of a first down, giving Windsor Forest the ball.
Beach’s veteran coach Michael Thompson said the teams had to deal with the heat, which also affected preparation during the week.
“We weren’t able to get out there and practice our normal practice,” Thompson said. “But at the end of the day, hats off to both teams. They battled to the end. It was two good ball teams. First game, we’ve got some nicks and bruises. We have to move forward. We have a week off. We’ve got to go to Groves (on Thursday, Sept. 3).
| WINDSOR FOREST 20, BEACH 14 (OT) | |||||
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
| Beach | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Windsor Forest | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
First Quarter
WF—Jayden Martin 24 run (kick good)
WF—Jaimeer Duncan 19 pass from Martin (Malachi Davis kick)
Second Quarter
B—Jayvion Williams 13 run (Joseph Phillips kick)
Fourth Quarter
B—Williams 25 run (Phillips kick)
Overtime
WF—Martin 2 run (no conversion/kick)
Records—Beach 0-1, Windsor Forest 1-0
PREP SPORTS REPORT SCOREBOARD
FINAL SCORES
WEEK 1 SCORES
Thursday, Aug. 20
Calvary Day 49, Glynn Academy 22
Friday, Aug. 21
Richmond Hill 22, Effingham County 21
Bradwell Institute 47, New Hampstead 34
South Effingham 17, Screven County 14
Toombs County 58, Benedictine 21
Islands 36, Groves 24
Lowndes 31, Jenkins 6
Wayne County 24, Liberty County 21
Windsor Forest 20, Beach 14
Treutlen 36, Bryan County 7
Savannah Christian 35, Athens Academy 13
Johnson 20, Savannah High 6
Bethesda Academy 60, Northwood Academy 28
Bluffton 29, Savannah Country Day 27
St. Andrew’s 48, Hilton Head Prep 0
Photos courtesy of lensbyshaunce_
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Team physicians include Dr. Don Aaron (Bryan County), Dr. David Sedory (Benedictine, Bradwell Institute, Liberty County), Dr. David Palmer (Calvary Day, Richmond Hill, South Effingham), and Dr. Thomas Alexander (Savannah Country Day, St. Vincent’s Academy).
