Johnson scores five TDs, Thomasville cruises

Tue. November 08, 2011 at 12:17 a.m. | By Mike Duprez

THOMASVILLE | Shaquan Johnson picked himself up off the ground after a particularly hard tackle in the third quarter and walked away limping.
Did that matter? Hardly.
Thomasville’s superb tailback kept right on going and by the time he was done, he had a school single-game record 381 yards rushing and five touchdowns as the Bulldogs crushed Surry Central 56-26 in the first round of the 2-A state playoffs Saturday night at Cushwa Stadium.
“My offensive line put in the work for me,” Johnson said. “My fullback put in the work for me. I treated every carry like it was going to be my last.”
Johnson, who now has 2,693 yards and 34 rushing touchdowns, will get some more carries as the Bulldogs will host Wilkes Central on Friday in the second round.
Quindale Williams ran for a pair of touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Shakeem Peterson as Thomasville improved to 8-4.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Johnson had the crowd buzzing all night as he scored on runs of 28, 6, 38, 19 and 52 yards. In addition to toting the ball 32 times, Johnson played almost the whole game at safety.
“I hope he can glue himself back together for the next game,” said Thomasville offensive coordinator Dickie Cline. “It was a physical game tonight. Very tough, physical game.”
It ended up being toughest on the Eagles, who couldn’t stop Johnson even tough they knew he would be getting the ball often.
“He’s the best back we’ve seen,” said Surry Central coach Monty Southern. “And they give it to him. If you’re going to stop Thomasville, you’re going to have to stop Shaquan Johnson.”
Surry Central’s 6-foot-3, 245-pound bulldozer of a tailback, Wes Brown, rushed for 133 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t nearly enough for the Eagles, who ended the season with a 7-4 record.
Play was rough at times with officials calling a combined 14 unsportsmanlike or personal foul penalties. After the final whistle, Thomasville coaches ordered their players to the buses, forgoing the traditional handshake lineup. Thomasville head coach Allen Brown shook hands with Southern and Surry Central linebacker Preston Cave.
“There were a lot of dirty, late hits, things that people can’t see,” Cline said. “Punching. Stopping on hands. Stomping on a leg out there. We felt like it was safer for us to just get out of here. Because of the way things were going, we didn’t want to risk an outbreak. So we thought it was best to get off the field.”
The decision drew boos from the Surry Central fans, and at least one Eagle player shouted obscenities at the Bulldogs.
“We got a little frustrated,” Southern said. “I’ll be honest with you. We felt like they missed some calls. Coach Brown felt like they missed some calls. It was a pretty physical game. I have never been a part of a game where we didn’t shake hands. I would like to think we could have kept our kids under control. I don’t know if he didn’t feel good about it, but that’s his decision.”
There were plenty of haymaker-type plays, most of them landed by the Bulldogs.
Johnson’s first touchdown, from 28 yards out early in the second quarter, capped an 11-play, 92-yard drive after the Bulldogs held Surry Central on downs.
The Bulldogs tacked on a safety on a ball snapped out of the end zone and TD runs of 6 and 38 yards by Johnson to fashion a 21-0 lead.
Jared Dimmette breathed some life into the Eagles when he intercepted a Peterson pass and returned it 31 yards to the Thomasville 26. That led to Brown’s 7-yard touchdown run with 6.7 seconds left in the first half.
Johnson twisted his ankle early in the third quarter and was spelled by Williams for two plays before returning to run 19 yards for a touchdown, making it a 28-6 game.
A long kickoff return into Bulldog territory led to Brown’s 27-yard touchdown run as the Eagles were able to answer quickly.
Johnson spent most of the next series having his ankle wrapped, and Peterson fired a 27-yard touchdown pass to Williams, pushing the lead back to 35-13.
Dimmette returned the kickoff 38 yards to the Thomasville 48, and quarterback Jesse Martin capped a six-play drive by scoring from the 2. At the point it was 35-20 with 2:41 still left in the third quarter.
And then Johnson saved the best for last.
Despite still being hobbled by the ankle, Johnson raced 52 yards for a touchdown during which he juked a defender into grasping for air.
“I just kept going,” Johnson said. “I keep striving. I want to go to states. I want to make it.”
Dimmette returned the kickoff 30 yards to the Surry Central 41, but this time the Eagles were stuffed into a three-and-out.
Shortly after that, Williams scored on a 25-yard run, pushing the lead to an insurmountable 49-20 on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Williams added a 3-yard touchdown run, and Brown scored on an 8-yard run to close out the scoring.
Notes: Martin had 81 yards on 16 carries. … Saul Hernandez kicked two extra points for the Eagles. … Williams had 68 yards on 12 carries. … Rob Styers kicked six extra points. … Gabe Pesqueria intercepted a pass. … Ryan Broadie recovered a fumble. … Thomasville had 484 total yards and 22 first downs.

Mike Duprez can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 218 or mike.duprez@the-dispatch.com.