Berwick falls short against E.D. White

E.D. White demonstrated again Friday that it belongs at the top of prep football's District 8-3A, winning easily at Berwick, 45-21.

White, 7-1 and 3-0 in the district, seems to excel at every phase of the game. Its power running game has a big cast of running backs, four of whom carried the ball in a six-play, 68-yard drive topped by a 21-yard touchdown run from Dylan Worthington on the Cardinals' first possession.

In a time when most kickoffs in area games are squib kicks, White kicker Ty Powell put kickoffs in the end zone three times and was perfect on extra points. He also kicked a 41-yard field goal.

The Cardinals committed no penalties before getting flagged for illegal motion on their first series in the fourth quarter.

The defense held Berwick quarterback Cru Bella to 5-of-13 passing for 86 yards . Most of the yards came on two passes, one to Nisiah Bennett (34 yards) and the other to Zack Gonzales (37 yards).

Berwick running back Jayden Milton picked up 108 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. But that represented the bulk of the Panther offense.

While E.D. White played a complete game, the Berwick backfield was incomplete. Milton's backfield partner, Andre Engleton, did not play Friday.

The net result was that Berwick went four-and-out on each of its seven first-half possessions, wasting a 58-yard return by Gonzales on the opening kickoff.

E.D. White, meanwhile, scored on its first five possessions before Berwick sophomore Cole Morris intercepted a Jake Sternfels pass late in the second quarter. But Berwick went four-and-out again, giving Wiley the chance to hit his field goal with as the first-half clock expired. White was ahead 38-0.

In the second half, Bennett caught Bella passes of 11 and 34 yards to set up Milton's 4-yard touchdown and Evan Crappell's kick with 1:21 left in the third quarter. Blaize Harrison recovered a fumble to set up a 29-yard scoring run by Milton.

Another fumble recovery and three Milton runs put Berwick in position to score on the 37-yard pass to Gonzales with 3:05 left in the game, but E.D. White's lead was too big to overcome.

For E.D. White, Jeffrey Diedrich rushed 10 times for 84 yards and a touchdown; Sternfels nine times for 75 and a score; Owen Thibodeaux six times for 62 yards and two TDs; and Worthington eight times for 59 yards and two TDs.

Sternfels was 3-for-6 passing for 37 yards.

Berwick, 6-2 and 1-1 in district, will play at the home of the other District 8-3A leader, St. James, Oct. 28. St. James is 7-1 and 2-0 in the district. Berwick will finish its regular season schedule by hosting Patterson, 4-4 and 0-2, on Nov. 4.

E.D. White, 7-1 and 3-0 in district, has a nondistrict game Oct. 28 with Sam Houston before returning home Nov. 4 to take on St. James for the game that seems likely to determine the district championship.

The name of the E.D. White kicker has been corrected.