Student in The Stands: Hornets Fail to Find Rhythm, Fall to Norcross

Unable to sustain consistence on offense and the inability to defend against the pass, the Roswell Hornets struggles continued Friday night, losing to 7-AAAAA division member Norcross by a score of 49-14.

Led by junior quarterback Joseph Wilber’s four touchdowns, the Blue Devils were able to score 35 unanswered first-half points. Senior wide receiver Jason Croom, who has already committed to play at the University of Tennessee in the fall of 2012, caught three touchdowns and was crucial part of the Blue Devil passing attack.

Croom, standing at 6-5 and weighing 226 pounds, loomed over the Roswell secondary and had a notable size advantage against the opposing defensive backs. Croom, who was explosive and extremely difficult to tackle, also caught a short slant pass in the second quarter, which then led to a 63-yard touchdown. Senior wide receiver J.T. Tolbert also played well, scoring on a 48-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

Unlike the Blue Devils fiery first half, the Hornets could not seem to find their game. Lacking rhythm and a consistent running game the Hornet offense was unable to execute a scoring drive the entire first half.

The Hornets were also plagued by penalties in the first half, especially in the red zone. Junior quarterback Ryan Monty showed signs of improvement late in the second quarter, completing four passes in a row, including an impressive 14-yard pass fourth down conversion to wide receiver Bennett Barton.

After receiving the ball to begin the third quarter, Monty threw an interception on the first play of the second half.  The Hornets scored their first points of the night on a run by junior John Albert, making the score 42-7, but the ensuing kickoff was then returned by the Blue Devils 97 yards for a touchdown.

The touchdown by Albert broke an eight-quarter span where the Hornets failed to score any offensive points and were outscored by 97-2. Roswell’s game then proceeded to greatly improve in the second half. Junior running back Andrew Kwateng ran the ball well and scored Roswell’s second touchdown of the night on a six-yard run. Roswell also saw production from current back up quarterback Casey Culver, who threw a perfect 13-yard completion to John Albert on his first play in at quarterback.  

Late in the second half the game took a serious twist when Blue Devils' sophomore defensive back Jordan Noil was injured badly. When finishing a tackle, Noil’s leg became caught and twisted to a significant degree. Several spectators in stands stated that his leg was facing 180 degrees in the other direction at the point of the injury and claim they heard Noil in agony. Both teams then respectively took a knee while the training staff inspected the fallen Blue Devil. Eventually, Noil was taken off the field by golf cart to an ambulance on the side of the field and was taken directly to the hospital. Cheers of “Jordan Noil” soon after erupted from the Norcross sideline.