By JAKE LILL | For the Times

On a night that featured less than stellar weather conditions, the Linden Patriots (3-1, 3-0) used a slate of running backs along with a smothering defense to ensure their third consecutive region win, beating the McIntosh Demons (1-3, 1-2) by a final score of 46 to 0.

The Demons would never have a chance in this one as Linden proved much more physical on both sides of the ball, racking up 351 yards of rushing on 58 carries while holding their opponent to an eye-popping -66 yards on 19 rush attempts.

The first points for the Patriots came by way of a six yard touchdown run from Terrance Sanders with 6:07 remaining in the 1st quarter. The Patriots took to the air for their next score when Dewayne Charleston connected with senior receiver Jeffrey Stacy Jr. for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 5:51 left before half. Linden would then go on to add two more scores to their total giving them a cushy 27-0 lead at the break.

The second half saw much of the same dominance by Linden. McIntosh, although resistant, never had a fighting chance. The Patriot’s defense only allowed two first downs the entire ballgame, forcing the Demons quarterback into pressure situations seemingly every down.

The running game for Linden was unstoppable. Demarcus Gilmore finished with 122 yards on 13 carries and 2 touchdowns. Right behind him was Devontae Knox, who finished with 101 yards on 13 carries and 2 touchdowns as well.

“It’s a process,” Coach Williams said following his teams’ victory Friday. “We got to continue to improve and get better.”