RALEIGH - Family and friends gathered with West Johnson football players to hear head coach Bennett Jones' post-game talk after the Wildcats beat Athens Drive 41-14 in their season opener last Friday night in Raleigh.

"I want everybody to be a part of this," said Jones, who was hired July 28, of his inclusive postgame talk. "I just feel like it's my job to bring it all together and let everybody support this program."

Fans that made the trip from Johnston County were treated to a rushing clinic, as West rushed for 347 yards in an impressive win. Junior running back C.J. Frederick led the team with 19 carries for 205 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter.

"We're going to find a way to get our playmakers the football," said Jones. "It just so happens we saw some things in the running game that we were able to exploit."

The game started out slow, as both teams exchanged scores and possessions. However, West lit up in the second quarter and never looked back.

With less than five minutes left in the half, Wildcats senior running back Mallie Umphrey broke a 7-7 tie with an 83-yard touchdown run. On Athens Drive's next possession, Jaguars quarterback Ross Snotherly was picked off by defensive back Wayne Green, setting the Wildcats up with another opportunity just before halftime.

West senior quarterback Lincoln Morton then orchestrated a 54-yard scoring drive, capped off by a 20-yard touchdown pass to Umphrey.

Umphrey finished with 125 rushing yards on just six carries.

"We just showed up and played. Everything went perfect," said Frederick. "We got off to a slow start, but after that we picked up the speed and kept going."

While the offense provided several big plays, Jones credited the defense as the difference-maker.

"I couldn't say more about our defense. I thought our defense played outstanding," said Jones. "After a little lull in the first quarter, they basically controlled the game the rest of the way."

Athens Drive, an 11-2 team from last year, has been known to put points on the board, but struggled to find a rhythm offensively.

"They've got some real explosive people," said Athens Drive head coach Jeff Smouse. "I think they're, physically, as good a team as we'll see on our schedule."

Bennett, who was hired less than a month before the opener, praised his team's perseverance during the coaching change.

"I told the guys that I was proud of them before the ball got kicked off," said Jones. "To come out and stay with it, there was such a transition there. To overcome what they had to overcome the last couple of the weeks, it's definitely a special victory."

Frederick believes his team benefited from the new hire.

"There was no break, once coach [Kwame] Dixon left, coach Jones just came in and picked up the slack," said Frederick. "He brought in energy and everything else he kept the same."

The victory for West avenged a 37-31 loss to Athens Drive in last year's opener. While the victory was dominating, and important, Jones knows that there's more work to be done this season.

"I told them tonight, win or lose, is not going to determine our season," said Jones. "We played well. We showed that if nothing else, last year was not a fluke."

"We're gonna try to come back this year and be just as strong if not stronger than we were last year."