Qua Russaw powers motivated G.W. Carver football team to region title

Jaquavious "Qua" Russaw quite literally made sure his team was in line Thursday night.

Multiple times during the second half of G.W. Carver's region showdown against Pike Road, the five-star edge rusher gestured towards a teammate, telling them to get behind the white line demarcating the Wolverines' sideline area lest they get penalized for a sideline infraction.

Those moments were testament to Russaw's "locked-in," all-business mentality. The game itself was a testament to why he's the No. 29 prospect in the Class of 2023 according to the 247Sports composite.

Thanks to several huge plays by Russaw, Carver football held the Patriots scoreless in the second half to win, 22-19, and claim the Region 2-6A title. The Wolverines (8-1, 6-0) last won their region eight years ago. This season, they're ranked No. 10 by the ASWA and thinking much bigger.

Thursday's game at Cramton Bowl was the fifth this season that Carver has won in the final minutes. Russaw attributed the Wolverines' trend of stepping up in crunch time to heightened expectations and a more unified locker room.

"Last year, we ain't have that type of chemistry," he said. "It's just us coming together. ... Everybody want it, everybody wanna win this year."

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Pike Road (5-4, 4-2) ran wild in the first half, especially superstar sophomore Anthony Rogers, who burst through several large holes and scored on a 30-yard rush shortly before halftime. According to Russaw, the Wolverines "just did our assignments, played physical and made a couple adjustments" in the third and fourth quarter, preventing the Patriots from moving into Carver territory.

Left unblocked on a third down, Russaw blew up a passing play to force an interception. He covered nearly 40 yards in a sideline-to-sideline sprint to tackle Rogers, a player 50 pounds lighter, for a loss. In the fourth quarter, he helped force and recover a fumble that was negated when the ball carrier was ruled down.

The Patriots finally managed to string together positive plays on their final drive. But Russaw then came up with the night's biggest play, getting a fingertip on the ball to ensure Pike Road's tying field goal attempt with 16 seconds remaining came up just short.

While Russaw's left hand sealed Carver's win, it was notable throughout the game as well for what covered it. With Georgia outside linebackers coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe in attendance, Russaw rocked a pair of red, black and white Georgia gloves to represent one of his top six schools, the other five being Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Ohio State and Alabama State. (Russaw also had an Alabama towel tucked into his pants.)

Russaw plans to visit Georgia on Nov. 5 for the Bulldogs' game against Tennessee and also has visits to Alabama (Oct. 22) and Auburn (Oct. 29). He and five-star defensive teammate James Smith will make the visits together, just as they visited Alabama State and Florida together on Oct. 8 and Oct. 15, respectively.

Of Alabama, Russaw said that even though the Crimson Tide lost to Tennessee, "That don't define them, I still think highly." Of Auburn: "I talk to Coach (Bryan Harsin) every Monday." Of Florida: "Definitely ... looking at them more, that visit just put them up there." Of Alabama State: "It was great going to an HBCU and just seeing them play. ... The atmosphere, everybody was crazy, the band is one of the best bands."

There's no Crystal Ball favorite for Russaw on 247Sports, and he and Smith aren't expected to make a decision about their college destination until the early signing period begins in December. Russaw and Smith have long intended to commit to the same school, and Thursday, Russaw affirmed that hasn't changed. Neither has their shared goal at the high school level — which they're now another win closer to.

"It's great playing with (Smith), a dominant player just like me," Russaw said. "We're going after the same thing. We're going after the same championship."

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com, by phone at 334-201-9117 and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: 5-star Qua Russaw powers Carver football to region championship