ALPHARETTA — All week, West Hall football coach Krofton Montgomery talked to his players about the importance of Friday night's Region 7-4A showdown at Denmark and its impact on the playoff race.
His Spartans listened.
West Hall's defense in particular caught the gist, forcing three turnovers on Denmark's first three possessions, finishing with six for the game as the Spartans stormed away with a 48-27 win in Alpharetta.
Corey Dupree (fumble return) and Jeremiah Prather (interception return) each scored on defense for West Hall to help the visitors to pick up their first win since Aug. 24 and stay right in the thick of the playoff discussion in 7-4A.
"I talked to everyone, especially to the seniors, about how big this game was if we wanted to go to our sixth straight playoffs," Montgomery said. "Obviously we still have a long way to go in this incredibly tough region, but this was a game we had to win to stay alive in the race. It was just an unbelievable performance, and I'm so proud of them."
Dupree also finished with an interception and two sacks for the Spartans (2-4, 1-1 Region 7-4A), while Devin Williams also picked off a Denmark pass.
Williams also had two touchdowns and over 100 yards receiving for West Hall, which sprinted to a 20-0 lead and owned a 27-7 halftime advantage. The Danes (4-2, 1-1) responded in the second half, pulling as close 27-21 in the third quarter. But the Spartans were not to be denied, as Michael Thompson and Solomon Riley each reeled off rushing touchdowns and Dupree scooped up a fumble off a sack to help West Hall quash any notion of a Denmark comeback.
Thompson finished with three rushing scores.
"Getting Michael Thompson back from injury was huge, and Solomon played a great game for us," Montgomery said. "And then Clayton Jenkins stepped in for his second start at quarterback and showed he was ready for prime time."
The sophomore Jenkins threw three touchdown passes and finished with 257 yards passing.
"Now we've got to turn around and go to Marist in this crazy hard region," Montgomery said. "But it's night and day right now after a win, and we gained some important confidence tonight."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/9/718205/west-hall-defense-rips-away-6-turnovers-to-spark-win-over-denmark