ETTRICK, Virginia -- One of the Trojans’ best-ever seasons by the numbers has drawn to a close.West Georgia quarterback Willie Candler engineered four of his team’s five touchdowns to lead the visiting #7 Wolves past #2 Virginia State Football 35-9 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
“We just had some breaks go our way, we made some key plays at the right time, interception there early in the second half that set up a big score for us,” said West Georgia head coach David Dean. “I thought our defense played very, very good against an offense that scores a lot of points, and offensively we put together drives at the right time and we were able to capitalize on some mistakes that they made and put some points on the board.”
After the Trojans went 10-0 for the first time in the program’s history and won their 12th CIAA Championship over Fayetteville State 42-19, their 2017 campaign concluded on a final mark of 10-1.
“We were really glad to be able to host a playoff game here. I’m proud of our team. I thought they played the game the right way,” said Virginia State head coach Reggie Barlow. “They have overcome a lot all season, and it’s been a great season for us. I’m proud of them, and unfortunately it had to end this way. We give West Georgia a lot of credit. They were a good team, well-coached, played hard, and they were able to pull it out today, but I’m proud of our guys.”
The Wolves were able to shut down Virginia State’s all-time leading rusher Trent Cannon, limiting him to 65 yards on 21 carries.
“They had a good team. Their defensive line was good,” Cannon agreed. “I had a couple of opportunities, I could’ve made it happen, but I don’t regret anything. We played hard as a team.”
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