Daylight savings ended last weekend and clocks were turned back an hour.
Atlantic Collegiate Academy played football Friday night like the Armada were turning back the clock decades.
Semaj Wilson ran for a pair of touchdowns as the surging Armada ground out a 14-0 win over Woodland for their first-ever postseason win in the first round of the 2-A state playoffs.
Halfway through the season, the Armada were 0-5.
ACA running back Brennan Moore goes airborne on a long run.
“Oh, man it’s exciting,” said ACA coach Antoine Rivens. “It’s really unbelievable. But if you look at how hard our kids work, it’s believable. Our goal at the beginning of the season was to make the playoffs. We’ll see how far we can go.”
Right now, they believe.
“It’s just a team effort,” said lineman Brodie Miller. “…They gave us a plan and we stuck with it. When we were 0-5, a lot of people quit on us. A lot of people doubted us. But we stuck together.”
They did so with a retro look.
The game was played on a grass field at Carolina Forest Community Church. The Armada huddled on offense and quarterback Broderick Evans took snaps under center. They lined up in old-school formations like the wishbone and I-formation. There were toss sweeps, even pitchouts.
Offensive coordinator Brock Miller was on the sidelines, not up in the press box calling plays. Miller didn’t even wear a head set.
ACA’s Scott Campbell returns the opening kickoff as teammate Nathan Slocki throws a block.
“I tried at the beginning of the year,” said the former N.C. State lineman. “I couldn’t do it.”
Most of all, they just pound the ball while spicing it up with clever traps and counters. There’s no semblance of a passing game. What it does is shorten the game by limiting possessions to the other team.
Best of all for the Armada, who are now 5-6, it works.
“Our linemen grew up,” Rivens said. “Some people in our region thought we imported some guys. I said, ‘no, it’s the same guys you’ve been beating on for two years.’ They’ve gotten older and we can play a more physical style.”
The Armada scored touchdowns on their first two possessions. On the other drives, they didn’t score but used up a lot of clock.
