LAKE 24, NEWTON 12 - Hornets make plays in second half to defeat Tigers
Both Newton and Lake expected a tough game as the division rivals met with a playoff spot on the line.
Lake rallied from a halftime deficit using a stingy defense to pull away and take a 24-12 win over the Tigers on Friday night.
Lake improves to 3-4 on the season and 1-1 in Division 5-2A play. Newton falls to 0-7 on the season.
Despite struggling on offense, Lake coach Tate Hanna said his team found a way to win.
“It was a wild game,” Hanna said. “I thought we came out flat and gave up a couple of big plays. Offensively, I still don’t think we are as efficient as we should be. We turned the ball over a couple of times and have some things we have to clean up. But in the end, we did enough to win the game but still aren’t where we should be. Our offense is sort of hit and miss. But just looking at the game, you knew the defense was going to do its part. They gave up two big plays, but they did their part. I thought our defensive front did a good job and hit their quarterback a lot. We forced them to do a lot of things they didn’t want to do. And I thought our defense did a good job on the back end for the most part.”
The Tigers got the ball to start the game and hit a big play early as Damarius Harkless hit De’Traun Brown on a 62-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed and Newton led 6-0 early in the first quarter.
Lake turned the ball over on downs on its first possession but went 45 yards in nine plays on the second possession. Griffin Boles hit Ny’Zavion McClendon on a 23-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. Ken Spivey ran in the two-point conversion and Lake led 8-6 late in the first quarter.
Newton answered with a five-play, 43-yard drive as Harkless hit Brown on a 26-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed and Newton led 12-8, a score that lasted until halftime.
Lake got the ball to start the second half and punted but pinned Newton at its own 8. Harkless was then sacked by Demetrius Towner and McClendon for a safety to cut Newton’s lead to 12-10.
Lake got the ball on the Newton 29 after the free kick. The Hornets then used four plays and scored on a 25-yard pass from Boles to Jamarrion Blaylock. The try for two failed and Lake took its first lead at 16-12.
The last score came early in the fourth quarter as Lake went 77 yards in 10 plays as Demetrius Towner scored on a 1-yard run. Blaylock ran in the two-point conversion and Lake took a 24-12 lead for the final margin.
Three plays earlier, it appeared like Lake fumbled the ball with Newton’s La’Robert Wheaton recovering. However, the officials ruled that a sideline penalty negated the play and gave the ball back to Lake with a first down at the 4-yard line.
“It was a game that I have never experienced anything like in my life,” Newton coach Zach Grady said. “The kids played well and played hard. But the game was determined by flags and not on the field. Both teams played well and I’m not taking anything away from Lake, but the game wasn’t decided on the field but by penalties. I’ve got to do a better job of being on the sidelines but we have to move on to Bay Springs.”
The Hornets had 174 yards rushing and 52 passing for 226 yards of total offense. Jamarrion Blaylock led the rushing attack with 74 yards on 13 carries while Jamarii Spivey had 70 yards on 10 carries. Ken Spivey had 61 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Boles was 4-of-9 passing for 52 yards and two TDs while McClendon had two catches for 29 points.
On defense for Lake, Towner have another big game for the Hornets with 10 tackles, including three for loss and two sacks. Spivey had eight tackles, including seven for loss and four sacks. Jamarii Spivey and Ny’zavion McClendon each had six tackles and one sack while had six tackles and one sack. Jamarrion Blaylock had 6.5 tackles while Brantavious Slack, Lamarious Mayers and Kyran Fortune each had an interception.
For Newton, the Tigers had 205 yards passing fur minus 65 yards rushing for 140 yards of total offense. Harkless was 14-of-29 passing for 205 yards with two TDs and three interceptions. Brown had eight catches for 164 yards while Daylen Ware had three catches or 23 yards. Corey Taylor also had three catches for 18 yards.
Diashun Moncrief led Newton with 14 tackles while Nazavion Robinson had nine tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. Emmanuel Robinson had 7.6 tackles while Brown had six tackles.
