By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
LANDIS ó Two plays have occurred on South Rowan’s football field in the last calendar year that transported spectators, players and coaches into the Twilight Zone.
Last September, South lost to West Iredell when it blocked a field goal on the game’s final snap, and the Warriors’ alert holder lofted a TD pass. That just doesn’t happen.
Last Friday, South quarterback Blake Houston took everyone on an unforgettable amusement-park ride. For those old enough to remember Fran Tarkenton, the mad scrambler who quarterbacked the Vikings and the Giants in the 1960s, that’s what it looked like. If you prefer modern references, he threw in some Steve Young and Donovan McNabb.
The play Houston and receiver B.J. Grant made just doesn’t happen. Not in high school.
It was South’s first possession. The Raiders trailed the Wonders 7-0 and had second-and-8 at midfield. The call was for a sprint-out to the right by Houston. That’s how it started, but it’s tough to get to the edge on the Wonders.
Houston gave ground. Then he retreated 5 more yards and started back where he came from, fleeing for his life with Wonders chasing and diving, and teammates trying to peel back to block. He tucked the ball. Everyone was sure he was running now, but Houston is an athletic freak. In baseball, he plays outfield right-handed and bats and pitches left-handed. In basketball he makes 3s and no-look passes.
He is capable of doing the unexpected.
“I’ve had a chance to look at the play now, and I can’t believe I’m doing all that running around back there,” Houston said. “When I turned, I waited to get hit, but no one hit me. Then I made a guy miss. Then I had some room heading back to my left and was looking to make a play.”
Houston’s career includes 1,987 yards passing and 695 rushing so offensive coordinator Steve London wasn’t shocked by what he saw. Houston traveled almost all the way back to the South sideline. Then he spotted Grant behind the defense.
“We’d put in some plays for Blake for the Brown game, but he’s a smart athlete who can ad-lib,” he said. “He made a heads-up play because just when they were sure he’s going to run, he pops up and throws. He kept his head up and knew where he was all the time. He knew where the line of scrimmage was. Then he finds B.J.”
Grant has played with Houston a long time. He followed him across the field patiently, made the catch and a great run after it to finish one of the best TDs in South history. It was the play that ignited South’s 21-19 victory.
“Blake had three guys out there, but he went to B.J.,” South head coach Jason Rollins said. “Zoomed it right in there. Beautiful play. You can’t teach something like that. They just did it.”
Houston added a TD pass to Quan Glaspy and produced five first-half carries for 10 or more yards. He surpassed 100 yards rushing and passing in a game for the second time.
“Brown was concerned about Thomas (Lowe) and tried to take him away and that freed me up,” Houston explained. “My read on the option is the 5-technique (defensive end). If he comes, I pull it. He kept coming.”
Houston’s brother, Heath, was an all-county DB on the last South team that beat Brown in 2003 and is working with South receivers while he waits to report to the Air Force.
“Heath was always reminding me he’d beat one team I hadn’t beat, but he was really happy,” Houston said. “The coaches are happy, the school’s happy, the fans are happy. It was a big game, we were ready to play, and it showed. I guess I’m the happiest I’ve been in my life.”
Rollins is equally happy.
“We’ve got another play now that people will never forget,” he said. “And it will be a lot more fun to talk about than the West Iredell game.”