Williamstown’s Lynken Joy (2) leaps over defenders on a carry during Friday’s game against Poca. (Photo by Nikki Allen)

WILLIAMSTOWN – ‘Draggin the Line’ was a smash hit made famous by Tommy James in the early 1970s.

Despite the number of years which have passed, the song’s title and opening line carry over to the present thanks to the Williamstown football team.

In a 48-0 homecoming win over Poca on Friday, the Yellowjacket ballcarriers consistently made it a point to stay on their feet even after three and four defenders gathered.

Four different Yellowjackets rushed for more than 50 yards and the team finished with 323 yards on the ground while improving to 5-0.

As the song opens, ‘Makin’ a livin’ the old hard way’ – that fits Williamstown to a ‘T.’

Williamstown’s Carson Haines (21) runs with the ball during Friday’s game against Poca. (Photo by Nikki Allen)

“We try to be physical at all levels – when you think physicality, you think offensive line,” Williamstown coach Chris Beck. “We want our backs to finish runs. Falling forward and being physical even as ballcarriers. That can wear on teams.”

Similar to last week’s win over Ritchie County, Williamstown went right to work from the opening kickoff. The Yellowjackets scored on their first six possessions of the first half – scoring three touchdowns in each of the first two quarters. At halftime, Poca trailed 41-0.

“I’m really happy with the effort,” Beck said. “Our guys came out and took advantage on homecoming. Against Wheeling Central, we didn’t start out so hot then the last two games we have started out of the gate quick. That’s a testament to our guys being prepared and ready to play as soon as that opening whistle starts.”

The Williamstown offensive line created the holes and the ball carriers did the rest. One play in particular personified the Yellowjackets’ dominance. Leading 21-0 midway in the second quarter, quarterback Lynken Joy called his own number on a sweep. Lineman Jensen Burge pancaked his defender and basically had him for breakfast as the crunching blow resonated along the Williamstown sidelines.

Joy cut back to his right, sprinted down field then added several more shifty moves to finish off a 61-yard touchdown run.

“That was a great feeling,” Burge said. “I hit that guy, got up and made a decision to chase after Lynken. “Poca was big – we knew that coming in they would be tough. Defensively, we prepared all week with our linemen assignments. We did our job. Down in the trenches and a muddy game like this all four (linemen) were getting in there. And the linebackers did the rest.”

Burge had quite the day after registering several tackles for loss, recovering a fumble and best of all being named homecoming king during a halftime ceremony.

“Jensen plays the game violently,” Beck said. “He is probably our toughest player. Being named homecoming king speaks to his leadership. He has a great personality, but when you get him between the lines he is nasty. He wants to play physical.”

Joy ended the night with a team-high 94 yards on just six carries. He also completed 9-of-12 passes for 138 yards – including a 35-yard scoring strike to Carson Haines as part of a 21-point first quarter.

“I told people Lynken doesn’t have to be (last year’s Kennedy Award winner Maxwell Molessa) – just be Lynken,” Beck said. “The best Lynken is the best for us. In the first five games he has been a dominant player, throwing and running the ball. He is doing a great job understanding the offense, and what we are trying to do getting the ball to our playmakers.

“He is one of the best players in Class AA. Without a doubt, he has proven that every week.”

Williamstown received the opening kickoff and marched 81 yards in 12 plays. Joy scored on a 4-yard run six minutes into the period.

Following an interception by Williamstown’s Rex Anderson, the Yellowjackets needed just three plays to produce Haines’ TD reception.

“Seems like every week we are having a different receiver step up and make plays for us,” Beck said. “Carson is a player who has made a lot of plays for us on defense. It’s to see him offensively starting to grow.”

Poca managed one yard of total offense in the first quarter, which enabled Williamstown to post a third TD as time expired. Cooper Billingsley,who finished with 62 yards on 12 carries, put the

Yellowjackets in front 21-0 with a 9-yard TD run.

After the second of four first-half punts by Poca set Williamstown up at its own 20 in the second quarter, the Yellowjackets used a total of four run plays to cover the 80 yards – the majority provided by Joy’s 61-yard TD jaunt.

Billingsley scored a second TD, this time on a sweep from 5 yards on third-and-goal with 5:04 remaining before halftime.

Poca did not move the chains until the 4:11 mark after a 19-yard pass play from Kamauri McBride to Preston Bennett. Two plays later on third-and-1 from the Williamstown 45, Bennett gained five yards before losing his grip on the ball. Burge recovered the fumble.

With three minutes showing, Williamstown made good use with the time remaining. On the first play of the series, Joy threw deep to Haines, who was double covered but hauled in the 44-yard pass reception. Haines finished with five catches for 110 yards.

Later in the drive on first-and-goal from the 2, Anderson used his lineman to his advantage and charged up the middle for the TD at 1:14. The senior joined the offensive party with 83 yards on 10 carries.

With the Williamstown starters having already exited in the later half of the third quarter, Yellowjacket Jackson Kerr used a downfield block from Jackson Fulton to score on a 31-yard run and complete the scoring with 3:28 remaining before the continuous clock kicked in for the fourth quarter. Kerr added another 59 yards on the ground on four attempts.

The bottom line had Williamstown piling up 468 yards of total offense compared to just 115 for Poca (3-2). For the Dots, Bennett gained 33 yards on 14 carries and caught three passes for 22 yards.

With the first half of the regular season in the books, Williamstown sets its sights on a remaining schedule which doesn’t get any easier.

“It’s going well, but we know we are loaded on the back half of the schedule,” Beck said. “We have a lot of really good teams and we are looking forward to the challenge next week with Marietta.”

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com