For a Ridgeland football team loaded with playmakers on offense, the defensive unit is often overshadowed.
And that’s perfectly OK with Panthers coach Wesley Tankersley.
Ridgeland’s defense gave up just 35 yards and three first downs in the first half in a 35-7 nonregion win at home Friday night against the Pepperell Dragons, who are ranked sixth in Georgia Class AA.
“I feel like our defense is better at this point in time than we were last year,” Tankersley said. “Obviously time will tell as we go through the schedule. Couple that with the offense still clicking on all cylinders, and that could lead to some really good things for us.”
The Class AAAA Panthers’ defensive line was stifling throughout the game, giving up only 19 yards on 19 carries and getting continual pressure on the quarterback. Junior defensive back Jordan Hughley had an interception, and Ridgeland (2-0) gave up just 135 total yards, with 74 of those coming on two pass plays in the final minutes of the game.
“Our D-line, they played outstanding,” Hughley said. “Thirty-five yards (in the first half), that’s crazy. This was a big game for us because in the newspaper they predicted us to lose. Coach got us ready on defense, and we came out fired up and ready to go.”
The Panthers’ playmakers didn’t disappoint, either, as the offensive unit put up 373 yards against Pepperell (0-1), with 260 of those coming on the ground. Senior fullback Jalyn Shelton, who is committed to the Naval Academy, paced Ridgeland with 25 carries for 91 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite having the ball for most of the first quarter inside Dragons territory, the Panthers had just a 7-0 lead. However, just 28 seconds into the second quarter, senior running back Desmond Johnson broke off a 25-yard touchdown run after he appeared to be trapped behind the line for negative yardage.
Ridgeland struck again quickly, but this time through the air, as quarterback Tanner Hill hooked up with Stephon Walker over the middle for a 22-yard score. Hill finished 5-for-11 passing for 97 yards, while Walker caught four passes for 84 yards and chipped in one rush for 19 yards.
The Panthers scored once more on a 1-yard Shelton plunge to take a 28-0 lead into halftime, and then they drove the ball for over eight minutes to open the second half, ending with Shelton’s third and final touchdown to go up 35-0, effectively salting the game away.
“Our guys just came out and took care of business,” Tankersley said. “I’m really proud of the way they executed; the overall effort was really good.”
Ridgeland will travel to Darlington next week for its third of four nonregion games before opening region play at Northwest Whitfield on Sept. 22.
Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com