Chargers' Defense Leads Way in Big Win Over Woodrow Wilson

To best understand just how dominant the Timber Creek Regional High School football team was in its victory over Woodrow Wilson, consider the night for Tigers punter Joseph Taylor. Through the first four games of the season, Taylor had been asked to punt just six times. On Friday he punted five times—in the first half.

Taylor also turned a bad snap into a seven-yard scramble that nearly resulted in a first down. As it turned out, that was the biggest play from scrimmage Woodrow Wilson would produce in the first half.

Timber Creek controlled every facet of the game Friday night, holding Woodrow Wilson to minus-2 yards in the first half, cruising to a 34-13 win in West Jersey League non-division action.

“We kept showing them how great we were and how hard we worked to get here,” said junior lineman Greg Webb, who had an interception and one-and-a-half sacks. “We kept trying to make them play up to us.”

Fans and media packed the stadium as the game was billed as a must-see contest, with each team entering 4-0. There was also history between the teams, with Timber Creek scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter to stun the Tigers, 32-25, last season.

No such drama was found Friday night as the Chargers controlled play from the opening whistle.

Timber Creek’s offense set the tone on its second offensive possession as quarterback Calvin Lowe rushed for gains of 12, 14 and 24 yards. An 85-yard drive that featured four first downs was capped off by Khalil Pierce, who took a handoff and cut outside for a 21-yard touchdown run that gave the Chargers a 7-0 lead.

The game remained at that score for the next four possessions as the Timber Creek defense gave nothing, while the offense turned the ball over twice, once on downs and once by a fumble.

Pierce got the offense going again early the second quarter when he ran for a 33-yard gain that, when aided by a facemask penalty, moved the ball to the Woodrow Wilson 4-yard line.

One play later, Kevin Potter took a sweep to the left for a touchdown giving Timber Creek a 14-0 lead with 7:47 left.

The Chargers’ defense got the ball right back when Webb caught a tipped pass for his first interception of the season. The lineman joked that he didn’t know what he was going to do with the ball when it was in the air.

One play after the turnover, Lowe rushed 36 yards to put the Chargers up 20-0.

Pierce got his second score on an 8-yard rush in the third quarter and Lowe connected on a 35-yard touchdown pass to Potter in the fourth to wrap the scoring.

“It’s a really great feeling,” Lowe said of the 5-0 start. “It’s a really great coaching staff putting the work in day in and day out, and it’s a really great feeling knowing we got some great coaches that coach us to the level to be 5-0 right now.”

“Coming out we had confidence,” said running back and cornerback Eric Church. “We knew that Khalil Pierce was going to run up the field and when I got the chance I would get some yards. Then Calvin opened up the passing game at the end and just finished them off.”

As productive as the offense was, it was the defense that stole the show. Woodrow Wilson entered the contest averaging 295 yards a game, but were held to less than 100 yards until the final minute of the game when the Tigers gained 63 yards. The secondary was especially impressive as the unit held Woodrow Wilson receiver Terrance Chambliss without a catch.

Chambliss was averaging 104 yards a game, but Church said the secondary played him the same as it would anyone else.

“We don’t look at it that,” said Church, who was matched up against Chambliss much of the game. “We don’t care who it is lining up out there, we just want to shut them down and do our jobs.”

With the win, Timber Creek, which travels to face Eastern next Friday, will improve on its power points. The Chargers already lead Group III, while the Tigers entered fifth.

Yet, as good as the team has been, the players believe their best football is ahead of them.

“I still think we could have done better, but it was good to come out and stop a good offense,” said Webb. “When that happened (early), it just got everyone fired up to keep playing and try to make them play up to our ability.”

Check back in later in the week to read about Greg Webb’s influence in his first year with the Chargers.