Sandy Creek Patriots quarterback Rio Johnson has been touted by a few pundits as the top high school quarterback in the state.

Johnson certainly played like the No. 1 quarterback in the state Friday, throwing touchdown passes of 83 and 61 yards to wide receiver Jarrett Davis.

His defensive teammates took care of the rest, shutting out Whitewater in the second half in undefeated Creek's fifth consecutive victory, 24-14 over the visiting Wildcats in the teams’ Region 5A-AAAA opener on Homecoming Night at The Battlefield in Tyrone.

The loss was the third straight for Whitewater (2-3, 0-1 region) since opening the season with two wins.

Third-ranked Creek (5-0, 1-0 region) features a slew of skill position talent, but it was the Johnson-to-Davis connection that caused Whitewater’s defense the most trouble.

Based on the coverages he was seeing, Johnson (9-of-14, 215 yards, two touchdowns), an East Carolina signee, was confident that he could connect with Davis deep.

“Their safeties were coming up on the run, and we thought we could get them to bite and go over the top of them,” Johnson said. “It just so happened that they bit on the plays, and we threw it over the top.”

Johnson made it a two-point game (14-12) late in the second quarter, unloading his first deep touchdown pass, an 83-yard bomb to Davis down the right sideline.

Johnson went back to Davis (four catches, 179 yards) on the next play, hitting him with a two-point conversion pass in the back of the end zone.

An illegal shift penalty against Creek nullified the play, but Johnson had another chance for the two-point conversion, and he converted it with a fade pass to wide receiver Alex Chisum in the left corner of the end zone to tie the game at 14.

Johnson put Creek ahead for good with another deep throw down the right sideline, a 61-yard touchdown pass to Davis with 8 minutes remaining in the third quarter that made it 21-14.

“Rio is a difference-maker, no doubt about that,” Creek coach Chip Walker said. “I’m extremely proud of him and everything he does. He’s a football player.”

It wasn’t just the Johnson-Davis pass-catch combination that was the difference for Creek.

After allowing 14 points in the first half, Creek’s defense turned in one of its most impressive halves of the season, shutting down the Wildcats' offense in the second half.

Creek’s defense forced three three-and-outs and one turnover in the second half, an interception by Isaiah Johnson that sealed the victory with 1:10 remaining in fourth quarter.

It also was effective in the second half stopping Whitewater’s bread-and-butter play, the option, which the Wildcats consistently ran for positive yardage off tackle in the first half against the Patriots.

Led by disruptive defensive linemen James Hervey (eight total tackles, two for loss, one sack), Lacy Coleman (four total tackles, one for loss, one sack) and Brandon Putnam (eight total tackles, one for loss), a Duke signee, and linebacker Matt Solomon (10 total tackles, one for loss, one sack), Creek limited Whitewater to three first downs and 78 yards of total offense in the second half.

Whitewater had 148 yards of total offense in the first half.

“The coaches challenged them a little bit at halftime, and they responded,” Walker said of his defense.

When asked what his defense did differently in the first half than in the second half, Walker smiled and provided a one-word answer: “played.”

The Patriots’ special teams also made an impact.

A host of Creek players sniffed out a fake punt by Whitewater late in the fourth quarter and tackled punter Austin Rowland well short of the first-down marker.

Creek’s Zach Lopez kicked a 34-yard field goal to complete the scoring with 9:50 left in the fourth quarter.

After each team’s first series, it appeared the game would be a showcase for offensive fireworks.

Playing his first game since suffering an ankle injury against Shaw in the second game of the season, Creek running back Rajion Neal leaped over the right side of the line for a 2-yard touchdown that capped a nine-play, 65-yard, game-opening drive.

Davis was a key playmaker for Creek on the drive, picking up 14 yards on an end-around on the first play from scrimmage and converting two third downs with catches of 5 and 30 yards.

Whitewater answered with a touchdown on its first series, a 50-yard run by Thomas Frierson on which he slipped through an arm tackle in the open field and outran Creek’s defense.

It was perhaps the highlight of the day for Frierson, who was celebrating his 18th birthday.

A 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chase Penland to Zach Mann completed a 15-play, 64-yard, penalty-aided drive that ate up 6:36 and put Whitewater in front 12-6 with 7 minutes left in second quarter.

Whitewater kicker Dylan Johnson drew a roughing the kicker penalty on the point-after. Whitewater eschewed the point-after, and Penland threw to a wide-open Stefan Bynoe in the end zone for the two-point conversion.

Penland kept the drive alive earlier, churning his legs on a keeper over center to barely convert a fourth-and-1.

Creek committed four penalties on the drive. Perhaps none hurt more than a flag for illegal participation with Johnson lined up to attempt a 34-yard field goal.

The 5-yard penalty gave Whitewater a first down, and Mann scored two plays later.

Mann made a considerable impact on the defensive side of the ball, as well, compiling 17 total tackles.

Penalties were a significant problem for Creek, which was flagged nine times. They didn't, however, prevent Creek from piling up 348 yards of total offense.

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