Lockhart leads Colonels past Applemen

By Rick Kozlowski -- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

BUNKER HILL -- James Wood coach Mike Bolin says Brock Lockhart lights up a room just with a smile.

Lockhart puts plenty of smiles on the faces of the Colonels when he lights up their offense.

Lockhart did it Friday night by rushing for 143 first-half yards as James Wood built a substantial first-half lead on its way to a 35-14 win at Waldeck Field.

Although Lockhart, who finished with 28 carries for 171 yards, didn't score any of the first-half touchdowns, his rushing gave James Wood the opportunity to build a 28-7 lead.

He carried the ball 20 times in the decisive first half, a week after running for nearly 300 yards on a school-record 36 tries in a victory over Washington.

"That's fine with me," Lockhart said of his attempt totals. "Whatever I got to do to win, if they give me the ball a lot or the other running backs the ball a lot, however we get the 'W.'"

They got it with Lockhart controlling the ball as the Colonels had a 47-19 play advantage in the first half. They also out-gained the Applemen 267-82 over that time span.

Musselman's lone first-half touchdown came on an 89-yard kickoff return by Jesse Hanes, which, in effect, just put the ball right back into the hands of Lockhart, as the Colonels scored touchdowns before and after Hanes' return.

Hanes proved a terror on returns for the Applemen all night long, giving his team good field position every time he touched the football on kick and punt returns.

Eighty-three yards of Lockhart's rushing total came in those two drives.

"We gotta quit doing that," Bolin quipped about Lockhart's rushing tries. "But he's so tough.

The Colonels scored first on Trae Tinsman's 10-yard scoring strike to Harlan Robinson and finished their first half scoring with the same two connecting on a 5-yard play, both plays coming with Robinson spotting up just over the goal line uncovered.

In between, Hunter Unhoch scored on a 4-yard end around and Cory Shrock ran 19 yards for a score off a belly play.

The Colonels received something of a gift to start the second half as a snap sailed way over the head of Musselman punter Thomas Martin, resulting in a 33-yard loss that gave James Wood possession at the Musselman 25-yard line.

Tinsman, rolling to his left, found an initially well-covered Matt Copley breaking off his route and getting open across the middle in the end zone for a 20-yard score.

"We kind of went into our slow-death offense in the second half," Bolin said. "That's the coach [Walter] Barr in me, like to get it done as fast as we can, run as few plays as we need to."

Winless Musselman had its opportunities, but let them get away.

The Applemen drove to the James Wood 20 in the first half, but failed to convert a fourth-and-5.

In the second half, Brandon Michael had a pass intercepted at the James Wood 8 on one possession, the Applemen turned the ball over on downs at the Colonels' 11 the next series, right after a potential touchdown pass was dropped in the end zone, and then Michael suffered an interception at the goal line after that.

Musselman finally got on the board as Preston Sharpe caught a 20-yard strike from Michael.

Michael, who found his most success when Musselman ditched the wing-T offense for the spread, finished the game completing 8 of 19 passes for 110 yards. He suffered three interceptions.

The Applemen finished with 218 yards of total offense to James Wood's 362.