By Steve Behr

sports@wataugademocrat.com

It seems destiny has put Purnell Swett in the role of Northwestern 4-A Conference killer.

The Rams, who take on co-NWC champion Watauga Friday night at Jack Groce Stadium in the third round of the state 4-A playoffs, has seen their share of NWC teams. Swett (10-3) opened the playoffs with a 26-0 win over South Caldwell and followed last week with a 22-21 win over A.C. Reynolds.

Tonight, the Rams take aim at Watauga (10-3), which eliminated fellow NWC rival Alexander Central 42-14 in the first round of the playoffs. The Pioneers are coming off a 52-36 win over Central Cabarrus, giving them 94 points in their last two games.

“As you go week-to-week in the playoffs, you better get better or else you’re going home,” Pioneers coach Adrian Snow said.

However, they take on a Rams offense that can dominate the clock and a defense that can be stingy. Swett ran 40 plays to Reynolds’ 18 in the second half of last week’s game and limited the Rockets to 23 yards in the second half.

It helped the Rams’ defense when the offense cranked out an 18-play drive in the second half that ate up nine minutes of clock. Offensively, they are led by Marlin Locklear, a tailback who is just 5-foot-8, 160 pounds, but who gained 200 yards and scored a touchdown in the Rams’ win over Reynolds.

“Offensively, they’re very good at keeping the ball away,” Snow said. “They do a good job with that, so it’s up to our defense to accept the challenge.”

Defensively, linebacker JoJo Blanks leads the Rams in tackles with 163. He also has forced five fumbles.

Watauga has plenty of weapons of its own to counter the Rams. Shrine Bowl running back Eric Breitenstein rushed for 316 yards and scored six touchdowns against Central Cabarrus. Breitenstein has 2,113 yards and 26 touchdowns this year.

Defensively, linebacker David Alger leads the team in tackles with 125. Breitenstein is second with 107 and linebacker Logan Smith has 101.

Swett’s success is similar to the way Watauga overcame its years of problems. The Rams’ win over South Caldwell was the team’s first playoff win in 17 years, while Watauga had not won a playoff game since the 1980s before last year’s drive to the 4-A semifinals.