SHREVEPORT – The North Webster Knights may have sealed a home playoff game from the brink of postseason elimination.
Not a bad night’s work for head coach John Ware and his surging team.
North Webster shutout Green Oaks, Jaylen Thomas topped 100 yards rushing and TJ Hawthorne found a new way to score with an interception return for touchdown as North Webster rolled Green Oaks 30-0 Thursday night at Jerry Burton Stadium.
“Still have a lot of stuff in there to improve on,” Ware said. “But we played pretty well last night. We made some big plays and scored on defense for the second week in a row; I thought last night was played pretty well on our part.”
North Webster entered Thursday’s game ranked 17th in the LHSAA Class 3A power ratings, and possibly boosted themselves into the top 16 which would mean another year with a home playoff game at Baucum-Farrar Stadium.
“That’s huge for us,” Ware said. “If you would have told me nine weeks ago that we would be sitting in this spot, I don’t know that I’d have believed you. With all the struggles we’ve had, we’re still a top 20 football team in 3A. We played some good competition this year and it’s made us better.”
Thomas led the way offensively for the Knights as he topped 100 yards for the third week in a row, finishing with 124 yards and 2 TDs.
“He’s been a workhorse for us,” Ware said. “TJ’s success has opened things up for him, and he’s just a sophomore. I feel like we’re peaking at the right time offensively.”