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11/27 - 10:30 AM Football Final Woodstown 21 Salem 22
SALEM -- Salem had to decide: Kick an extra point and tie it up, or go for two and the win.
The Rams went for two.
It turned out to be the right decision, as the Rams scored two touchdowns in the last five minutes and Shareef Jeffries converted a two-point conversion for the win as Salem defeated Woodstown, 22-21, in the teams' 104th Thanksgiving game. Salem leads series with a record of 58-36-10.
With Salem behind, 21-14, and 1:08 left in the game, Jeffries, a junior quarterback, connected with wide receiver Donovan Lewis on a 19-yard TD pass that cut the Wolverine's lead to 21-20.
"We just had to keep pushing and couldn't let go," Jeffries said. "I knew we had to get in there and win the game. I pushed in there, got a good fake and got it in there."
The difference in the game was the defense and special teams, according to Salem head coach Dennis Thomas.
"We were able to come back in the fourth quarter with our special teams and defense," he said. "They really picked it up. Kudos to those guys for refocusing at the right time."
Both phases scored touchdowns for the Rams. With 7:16 left in the first quarter, Rams linebacker Daquan Blake recovered a fumble and ran it 29 yards for the game's opening score.
But, on Salem's next drive, Wolverines defensive lineman Brandon Bedilion scooped up a Jonathan Taylor fumble on Salem's 24-yard line and ran it in for a touchdown. That put Woodstown ahead, 7-6.
The Wolverines would stretch the lead to 21-6 on a 26-yard TD pass from Chad Watt to Keith Johnson in the second quarter and Johnson's 10-yard TD run in the third.
With five minutes left to play, the Rams' special teams came up big by recovering a fumble in the end zone on a Woodstown punt, cutting the lead to 21-14 after a two-point conversion pass from Jeffries to Tahir Davenport-White.
The Rams entered the game with one week to go before their sectional championship game against Paulsboro in South Jersey, Group 1. Thomas said it affected his team's focus throughout the week.
"Some of our guys were unfocused," he said. "They were focused on the championship."
The running game, which had been potent last week against Pennsville on its way to over 200 yards and five touchdowns, failed to score for the Rams and finished with 145 yards on 44 carries.