Playoff bound: Opportunistic defense lifts Wildcats over Vols

The Enterprise Wildcats (4-5, 3-3) are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 after picking up a hard-fought 22-14 win over the Jeff Davis Volunteers (2-7, 1-5) on Friday, Oct. 25.

The win secures Enterprise the No. 4 seed in the playoffs for Class 7A, Region 2 and breaks a two-year playoff drought for the Wildcats, and Enterprise did it with defense.

The Wildcat defense has struggled for the last three years – finishing dead last in the state in defense the previous two seasons – but against Jeff Davis the Wildcats smothered the Volunteer running game and forced four turnovers in the win.

“They came up big for us, especially in that second half,” an elated Enterprise coach Rick Darlington said after the win. “They did a great job. We got some picks, had a great pass rush and really shut down their running game. I’m really proud of the defense, and that’s how we want to win games here. We want to win it with great defense.”

Holding on to a 22-14 lead, with less than two minutes remaining, the Volunteers had the ball at their own 39-yard line with hopes of dimming Enterprise’s playoff chances.

Facing a third-and-14, Enterprise defender Robert Ellis unloaded on a Jeff Davis receiver for a massive hit after a short gain. Then, on fourth-and-13, Ellis exploded through the Volunteer offensive line and sacked quarterback Chase Ford for a 15-yard loss. Enterprise was able to run the clock out from there.

To start the game, Enterprise and Jeff Davis traded punts and then Enterprise nose tackle/fullback Larry Magwood tipped a Volunteer pass allowing running back/defensive back Josh McCray to make a leaping interception near midfield for the first big defensive play of the game.

The Wildcat offense was unable to get anything going and was forced to punt again. After Enterprise pinned Jeff Davis at the Volunteer 10-yard line, Ford took a monstrous hit as he heaved a desperation throw. Fortunately for the Volunteers, receiver Tavares Womack caught the pass in stride and took it 90 yards for a touchdown. The PAT gave Jeff Davis a 7-0 lead with 1:45 remaining in the first quarter.

Enterprise drove near midfield as the second quarter began but was forced to punt again. After the Volunteers were forced to punt, Enterprise’s LZ Leonard returned it 13 yards down to the Jeff Davis 22-yard line. Magwood then plowed through the Volunteer defense for 20 yards.

On the next play, Magwood bulled his way into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown run with 6:09 remaining in the second quarter. The PAT tied the score up 7-7.

Jeff Davis drove down to the Enterprise 24-yard line on its next possession but the Wildcats defense managed to force a turnover on downs.

Enterprise then drove down to the Jeff Davis 22-yard line again, and Magwood ran through a number of tackles on his way to a 22-yard touchdown run with 1:18 remaining in the half. Quentin Hayes converted a two-point try and Enterprise led 15-7.

The Volunteers weren’t done yet, however. Womack returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards and then Ford unloaded a 53-yard touchdown pass to receiver Reginald Summage as Ford was buried by another big hit. The PAT cut Enterprise’s lead to 15-14 with 49 seconds remaining. The Wildcats would take that lead into halftime.

The Enterprise offense again started out the second half with a punt and likewise the Wildcat defense followed up by forcing a Volunteer punt.

After Enterprise quarterback Jackson Darlington passed for just two yards in the first half, he completed a 38-yard pass on Enterprise’s next drive to receiver KJ Couch down to the Jeff Davis 31-yard line.

On the next play, Darlington found a wide open Jared Smith for a 31-yard touchdown pass but a holding penalty brought the ball back. Facing a fourth-and-three McCray buried his head into the Volunteer defense and picked up the first down to give Enterprise a fresh set of downs.

Two plays later, Jackson Darlington found Couch for a 24-yard touchdown pass. The PAT extended Enterprise’s lead to 22-14 with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter.

Jeff Davis marched all the way down to the Enterprise 8-yard line as the seconds ticked down in the third quarter. With just under 40 seconds remaining in the period, Ford was chased out of the pocket and McCray stepped in front of another pass for a Wildcat interception to close out the period.

As the fourth quarter began, Enterprise turned the ball right back over to Jeff Davis on a fumble but the Wildcat defense came up big again. After Jeff Davis drove down to the Enterprise 15-yard line, Enterprise safety Romaine McFarland intercepted another Ford pass near the goal line.

A personal foul penalty on Enterprise backed the Wildcats up inside their own 5-yard line and after a short punt, the Volunteers once again had the ball in Enterprise territory.

Facing a third-and-29 from the Enterprise 39-yard line, however, Wildcat safety Jaylon Webster made an acrobatic interception as Ford got blistered by another huge shot from the Enterprise defense leading up to the closing minutes of the game.

In total Enterprise gave up 344 yards of offense, but 143 of those yards came on two big plays in the first half. In the second half, the Enterprise defense gave up just 140 yards of total offense and five first downs, while the Wildcats forced three turnovers and two turnovers on downs. For the entire game, Jeff Davis mustered just 33 yards rushing.

The aggressive, physical Wildcat defense seemed to take on much of the personality of first-year hard-nosed defensive coordinator Jed Kennedy as Wildcat defenders hit Jeff Davis quarterback Ford throughout the game.

The Enterprise offense rolled up 352 yards of offense and were led by the gritty performance of junior Josh McCray, who rushed for 93 yards on 17 carries, while also intercepting two passes on defense. He also caught one pass for 10 yards despite battling an upper body injury.

Magwood also rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries, while Jackson Darlington had 51 yards on 11 carries. He also completed 7-of-9 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. Mykel Johnson added 50 yards on five carries. Couch caught two passes for 62 yards and a score.

After losing three straight games, the Wildcats have now won back-to-back region games and secured a spot in the Class 7A playoffs, which Rick Darlington said was huge for the program.

“I’m just so proud of them,” he said of his team. “I’m proud of them for fighting. We can’t seem to make it easy on ourselves but this was another hard-fought win just like last week.

“I’m proud of these guys to get into the playoffs. That’s really big for our program in the first year. The seniors did a great job and the whole team really did. I’m just so proud of everyone.”

Enterprise won’t get much chance to celebrate the win as the Wildcats travel to Mobile next week to face off against Theodore in what could be a bit of a playoff preview for Enterprise.

While the Alabama High School Athletic Association has yet to release the brackets for the playoffs, Enterprise will likely meet Class 7A’s No. 1-ranked McGill-Toolen in the opening round in Mobile on Nov. 8.

Theodore is the No. 2 seed in Region 1 with its only loss of the season coming against McGill-Toolen.