Phil Anastasia: Timber Creek defense dominates Woodrow Wilson in 34-13 win

They are moving into nickname territory.

They aren't there yet. They aren't to the point where people start referring to the Timber Creek defense as "Blue Crush" or "Silver Avalanche" or some other silly moniker.

It's only the middle of October. There's a lot of football left in the long season.

But the Chargers are starting to leave a mark on South Jersey football with some dominating defense.

Actually, they are starting to leave a welt.

Take Friday night's 34-13 victory over Woodrow Wilson in a West Jersey Football League interdivision clash of unbeaten teams.

Timber Creek (5-0), the No. 3 team in The Inquirer Top 10, got great work from senior quarterback Calvin Lowe and junior running back Khalil Pierce. The Chargers' offensive line was solid. They played good special teams.

But their defense was the story.

The guys on the other side of the football seized the spotlight, turning a showdown between unbeaten teams into a showcase for spectacular defense.

"I'm asking the coaches all the time, 'Are we really that good?' " Timber Creek coach Ron Hinson said. "I think, potentially, we could have a lights-out defense. These guys could be pretty special."

Lowe, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound senior, ran 18 times for 136 yards and touchdown. He also was 5-for-8 passing for 83 yards and a touchdown.

Pierce, a 5-9, 180-pound junior, ran 16 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wingback Kevin Potter also scored two touchdowns, one on a run and the other on a pass reception.

But even the Chargers' offensive guys got caught up in the work of the Chargers defense.

"Those guys are great," Lowe said. "Our defense sets the tone for our team."

What makes the Chargers defense so imposing is its athletic ability. This is a defense with three future high-Division I players in senior linebacker Quanzell Lambert and junior defensive linemen Greg Webb and Dajaun Drennon.

The 6-2, 240-pound Lambert has offers from schools such as Alabama and Oklahoma. His jarring tackle of Woodrow Wilson quarterback Aaron Spencer was the hit of the game.

The 6-2, 295-pound Webb, a defensive tackle who plays like a young Warren Sapp, has offers from 10 schools, including Tennessee and Penn State. The 6-4, 225-pound Drennon has offers from five schools, including Penn State and Iowa.

But it's not just those guys. Junior defensive end Myles Nash is 6-5 and used his long reach to bat a pass that Webb intercepted in the second quarter. Junior cornerback Eric Church ran step for step with Woodrow Wilson receivers all game. Senior safety Jamie Schiavo was all over the field, and his 13-yard sack of Spencer set an early tone for the game.

"The whole mind-set was to keep going after the ball," Webb said. "We want to keep our name. We want to keep proving to people that we are that good."

In the first half, Timber Creek held Woodrow Wilson to minus-2 yards and zero first downs. The Tigers' biggest gain was a 6-yard run by their punter on a fake.

Woodrow Wilson (4-1) got a big play from Joseph Taylor, who took a quick pass, slipped a tackle, and raced 40 yards for a touchdown on the first possession of the second half. And the Tigers scored another touchdown on the final play of the game against Timber Creek's second-string secondary.

But the game was decided in those first 24 minutes, when Timber Creek held Woodrow Wilson to negative yardage and took a 20-0 lead into the locker room.

The Chargers defense keeps making a name for itself.

Even if they don't have one yet.

Woodrow Wilson 0 0 7 6 – 13

Timber Creek 7 13 7 7 – 34

TC: Khalil Pierce 21 run (Kevin Casey kick)

TC: Kevin Potter 4 run (Casey kick)

TC: Calvin Lowe 36 run (kick failed)

WW: Joseph Robinson 40 pass from Aaron Spencer (Amir Clarke kick)

TC: Pierce 8 run (Casey kick)

TC: Potter 35 pass from Lowe (Casey kick)

WW: Sean Walters 20 pass from Spencer (no attempt)