Saturday, October 11, 2008
PADUCAH — Just as expected, there were fireworks from the opening introductions at Friday night’s football contest between Hopkins County Central and Lone Oak, but it was the visiting Storm who created their own thunder and lightning early on, before a tremendous Purple Flash comeback.
After Central (4-2) and Lone Oak (5-1) combined to score 56 points in the first half, the final 24 minutes proved to be a complete turn-around, becoming a defensive battle in which the Storm came out on top with a 35-31 victory.
The Purple Flash ran onto the field with a welcoming show of pyrotechnics, but Central’s offense dominated first quarter play while the Storm defense shut the door in the fourth quarter.
In between, the Lone Oak offense made an onslaught to get back into the game.
Tied 28-28 at halftime, Lone Oak got on the board first in the second half, scoring on a 35-yard Jack Coorts field goal with 7:09 left in the third quarter. Although Central trailed by three, the points would prove to be the Purple Flash’s last of the game while the Storm added a touchdown to steal one of the school’s biggest wins in its history.
The victory did not come easy though as Lone Oak appeared ready to add to its lead in the fourth quarter. Flash quarterback Jamarielle Brown scrambled on a third-down from the Central 23-yard line and made an ill-advised lateral that was scooped up by Storm’s Nathan Crick at the 40-yard line.
Central turned the opportunity into the game-winning score nine plays later when Troydale Rorer took a pass from Jake Powell, cut inside and ran 11 yards to the endzone for a 35-31 lead with 6:57 left in the game.
On Lone Oak’s next possession the team marched into Central territory, but four straight stops gave the Storm the ball at their own 47-yard line.
The Purple Flash got the ball back though, when the Central offense could not get a first down. Lone Oak crossed midfield once again with less than two minutes to go. Facing fourth-and-16 from the Storm 41-yard line, Central’s defense made one last stop as Keith Couch broke up a pass from Brown at the 10-yard line with :58 seconds left.
Central took over on downs and assumed the victory formation with a few kneel-downs to seal the win.
In the first half, the Storm took just two and one-half minutes to go ahead of the favored Flash. On Lone Oak’s first possession of the game, Central forced the home squad to a three-and-out. Central’s Wade Hendrix blocked the ensuing punt after a low snap and Troydale Rorer jumped on the ball at the Flash 17-yard line.
Four plays later, Keith Couch scored the game’s first points on a 2-yard rush and a 7-0 advantage.
Thirsting to add onto the team’s momentum, the defense once again stopped Lone Oak on its next drive.
Powell led the Storm to a score for the second straight possession when on third-and-eight from the Purple Flash 42-yard line, he dropped a perfectly placed ball over the shoulder of receiver Kevin Couch. The score put the Storm ahead 14-0 just four minutes into the game.
After stopping Lone Oak’s offensive wonder Brown on the team’s first few drives, Central’s defense allowed Brown to escape the pocket on a busted play to find receiver Logan Francis for a 53-yard gain to the Storm 24-yard line on a third-down play.
Kevin Couch forced a fumble on the play, but Flash receiver Gavin Nall fell on the ball to recover. Three plays later, Brown threw to Matt Starks to cut the deficit in half.
The Storm’s offense stalled on the next drive, but Lucas Duncan put the team on his back with the first of many spectacular plays. Lone Oak held the ball on fourth-and-nine from its own 20-yard line, ready to punt, but Duncan split the line to block the punt attempt, his third of the year.
Rorer jumped on the ball to recover in the endzone. Central’s two-point conversion failed, but the team led 20-7.
Less than a minute later, Duncan struck again displaying his athleticism when he intercepted Brown on third-down and returned the pick 40 yards for a score. Powell successfully completed the two-point try for a commanding 28-7 lead with 1:23 left in the first quarter.
The second quarter presented a completely different game though, as Lone Oak took the momentum and didn’t look back.
The Purple Flash scored three times in the quarter’s final eight minutes to even the game. The comeback did not come, however, until Duncan intercepted Brown for the second time of the night and returned 22 yards to the Central 38-yard line.
Unfortunately for the Storm, its offense could not convert on the opportunity and opened the door for the never-say-die Lone Oak squad.
The Purple Flash put together a nine-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a 26-yard touchdown pass to Allen Haase.
The touchdown seemed innocent enough as Central still led by two scores, but a stalling Storm offense combined with an opportunistic Lone Oak team equaled perfect timing for a comeback.
Lone Oak scored two touchdowns in the half’s final two minutes to take the hush the Central fans.
With less than thirty seconds in the half, on third-and-14 from the Central 15-yard line, Brown threw to receiver Allen Haase. The receiver fell down and defender Kelsey Bowman fell onto Haase’s back, resulting in a questionable pass interference call.
Therefore, Lone Oak had the ball first-and-goal from the 7-yard line. The next play, Starks caught a touchdown reception to pull within one score with just 18 seconds to go.
The Purple Flash kicked off from the Central 45-yard line as a result of the previous penalty and opted to make an on-sides kick, catching the Storm off guard. Lone Oak recovered and on the half’s final play, Brown threw a 48-yard touchdown to a wide-open Justin Jackson as a Central defender fell down in coverage near the goal line.
The reception capped a magnificent rally by Lone Oak and the two teams entered halftime tied 28-28.
Central
Passing: Jake Powell 9-17 91 yards 1 INT
Rushing: Troydale Rorer 13-58 Jake Powell 9-10 Keith Couch 6-38 1 TD Kevin Couch 2-53 1 TD
Receiving: Rorer 1-5 Keith Couch 1-1 Kevin Couch 3-32 Kelsey Bowman 3-11
Forced fumbled: Kevin Couch
Fumble recovery: Nathan Crick
Interception: Lucas Duncan 2-62 1 TD
Punt block recovery: Rorer 1 TD
Lone Oak
Passing: Jamerielle Brown 24-51 333 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Brown 16-4 Matt Starks 7-38 Justin Jackson 7-46 Chayton Thacker 2-12
Receiving: Allen Haase 6-90 1 TD Logan Francis 1-53 Matt Starks 5-42 2 TD Cameron Looper 2-11 Justin Jackson 5-101 1 TD Carson Beyer 1-18 Chayton Thacker 1-(-6)
Fumble recovery: Gavin Nall, Justin Jackson, Rorer 1 TD
Fumbles: Logan Francis, Justin Jackson, Matt Starks
Blocked punt: Lucas Duncan
1st quarter
HCC: 9:30, Keith Couch 2-yard rush, Wesley Ipock XP – Central 7-0
HCC: 6:02, Kevin Couch 42-yard reception from Jake Powell, Ipock XP – 14-0
LO: 4:44, Matt Starks 14-yard reception from Jamerielle Brown, Jack Coorts XP – 14-7
HCC: 1:31, Troydale Rorer fumble recovery TD, 2-point conversion no good – 20-7
HCC: with no time, Lucas Duncan 40-yard interception, Powell 3-yard rush two-point conversion – 28-7
2nd quarter
LO: 3:32, Allen Haase 26-yard reception from Brown, Coorts XP – 28-14
LO: 0:18, Starks 7-yard reception from Brown, Coorts XP – 28-21
LO: with no time, Jackson 48-yard reception from Brown, Coorts XP – 28-28
3rd quarter
LO: 7:09, Coorts 35-yard field goal – Lone Oak 31-28
4th quarter
HCC: 6:57, Rorer 11-yard rush, Ipock XP – Central 35-31
No comments:
Post a Comment