In Their Own Words - Voices of the PAC-6 - Lee County vs. Hillside (12/3/2010)

PHOTO BY RAY BLACK III

It had been a long time since the Hornets had found themselves in what some might call a close game.  In fact, you'd have to go all the way back to the start of PAC-6 conference play in their match-up against rival Southern Durham to come close to a 'nail-biter'.  But in the third round of the 4A playoffs, the Hornets found themselves in somewhat unfamiliar territory playing a scrapping well-coached Lee County squad that was on a two game roll.  After bolting to a 28-0 lead, the Hornets saw their lead slowly evaporate until at halftime they were up by just 12 after 16 unanswered Yellow Jackets' points.  The game continued to stay close in the second half as both teams were held scoreless in the third before the Hornets finally sealed the deal and punched their ticket to the 4A Eastern Region Finals for the second time in three years with a 42-22 victory.

On paper, this was a game that the Hornets should have won handily.  Hillside had done more than handle both Northern Durham and Greensboro Dudley, while Lee County had gotten wins against both to begin the playoffs, but their victories were anything but convincing, as much a by-product of solid team play and savvy coaching from a veteran of the game in Burton Cates than anything else.  But, as with any contest that involves we humans and an oblong ball, anything can happen and this past Friday night the Hornets had to play a full four quarters of ball to move forward in their quest for perfection.

The Hornets continued to show their strength on offense with Vad Lee throwing for over 300 yards on the night, while the rushing attack prospered on the feet of senior Jamal Williams who ended the game with four scores and over 150 yards rushing.  On the defensive side of the ball, the Hornets were stung by the Yellow Jackets' offense, especially through the air and turnovers by the offense assisted in making the game closer than any in Durham would have liked.

With the victory, Hillside moved to 14-0 on the year, the most wins in school history in a season and continued their journey towards a state championship berth and the opportunity to play for the 4A crown.  The Hornets will continue their home stand this Friday as they take on the number two overall seed in the East from New Bern.  The following quotes are from the voices of the PAC-6 and were included in articles from the News and Observer and Herald-Sun.  For more information on the game, follow the links provided at the end of the post.


The Hornets did what they've done for much of the year - start fast and score early - and the result was an early 28-0 lead over the Yellow Jackets.  But Cates' Yellow Jackets battled back to close out the half down by just 12 and Hillside head coach Antonio King commented after the game on his take on what transpired with his team that aided in the Yellow Jackets comeback.

"We jumped out early, and then we had to deal with some complacency because they thought it was going to be real easy," said King.  "That team has fought and scratched, coming to Durham and beating Northern and going to Greensboro and beating Dudley and we knew they weren't going to quit."

"I think we might have let up a little when we went up 28-0.  Lee County taught us a lesson."

One of the heroes of Friday night for the Hornets was senior running back Jamal Williams.  On a team that boasts no less than three to four high quality running backs, not including quarterback Vad Lee, it's taken time for Williams to showcase his skills and he did just that when the team needed him the most on Friday evening.

"I'm just out there having fun and making my lineman look real good," Williams said. "And they're making me look real good. We're just doing what we've got to do to get to the state championship.  I've come a long way and I've learned to appreciate everything. It feels great."

Williams went on to comment on where he found most of his success running the ball against the Yellow Jackets and expressed the importance of getting up early on Lee County.

"It was the inside run," Williams said. "They were pinching the outside and I knew the holes would be on the inside, so I just read the blocks and ran hard."

"We tried our best to get up on them early because we knew they weren't a second-half team," Williams said. "We hopped on them in the first half and the rest was good."

Coach King spoke about the emergence of Williams in the overall scheme of the offense and how it has benefited other components of the system.  The strong running effort of Williams opened things up through the air and although quarterback Vad Lee rushed for his lowest total of the year, he passed for his highest mark of the year.  Coach King spoke about this dynamic.

"Since the [Person game] Jamal has been making the most of his opportunities," King said. "It helps Vad a whole lot.  Jamal has been a three-year player on varsity.  He's grown with the system."

"Vad was so dialed in on the passing game and was throwing the ball so well that he wasn't looking to run as much as usual," King said.  "He probably stayed in the pocket a little more than usual and took some sacks, but he was throwing the ball so well." "The pass was open a little more than the run this week. We have four or five different receivers with 20 catches.  If you're open, Vad is going to throw you the football.  We got a bunch of weapons and he uses them well."

With the victory on Friday evening, the Hornets are back in the 4A Eastern Finals and Coach King commented on this honor.

"We'll be back here hosting the eastern regional again for the second time in three years," King said.  "We've done what we've wanted to all year.  We're 14-0 and we have that game to get to our ultimate goal of playing for a state championship."

The Hornets will be taking on one of the powers of the east in traditional heavy-weight New Bern this Friday.  After watching film, King commented on the Bears and the importance of taking the lessons learned from their game against the Yellow Jackets and putting them to good use against the Bears.  He concluded about the spirit and determination of his squad as they prepare for their fourth round match-up against New Bern.

"New Bern has one of the most explosive offenses I've seen," King said. "We had three breakdowns against Lee County, and it scored three touchdowns.  We can't afford to make those kinds of mistakes against New Bern."

"Lee County earned every point," King said. "When we had breakdowns, they took advantage of them.  From here on out, we can't afford to make mistakes like we did."

"Our kids are all in," King said.  "Their goal was to go undefeated.  They know that New Bern is a great, great team.  Our kids don't want to be denied after coming this close."

News & Observer (article by Terry Hill)
Durham Herald-Sun (article by Joe Johnson)
News & Observer (article by Tim Stevens)