WEST POINT, Ala. – On a misty Friday night, the West Point Warriors found themselves with their backs against the wall over and over, only to continue to fight back down to the final whistle. It seemed the Warriors not only had to overcome the play of the other team, but also the many calls of the refs. Ultimately, despite a great effort, the Warriors fell short, 31-28, to Lawrence County.
The Warriors opened the game up with a balanced attack, gashing the Red Devil defense both on the ground and in the air. After Senior QB Will Cochran found Branson Smith for a 45-yard deep ball, Cochran took it in the end zone himself on a 1-yard run.
After the impressive opening drive Lawrence County answered right back with its own 13-play, 53-yard drive ending with a 5-yard touchdown run by Gage Dutton. Expecting a shootout after the first series, both offenses seemed to stall out after several defensive stops. West Point relied heavily on Keaton Chappell, who was all over the field making tackles all night long.
With two minutes to go, the Red Devils went into their two-minute drill and used several big plays to move the ball down the field, with the last being a 24-yard touchdown catch by Kaden Edwards. Lawrence County QB1 Brody Sparks scrambled on the play and found Edwards, who was able to break several tackles on his way to 6. Garret Lee caught a two-point conversion to give West Point a 14-7 deficit going into the half.
The Warriors went straight to work forcing a quick three-and-out on defense, followed by a 45-yard touchdown pass on the third play of the opening series of the second half. Cochran found Smith once again for 45 yards, except this time it was for 6. Logan Selby converted the extra point to tie the game up 14-14. It’s been noteworthy before, but tonight let’s call a spade a spade. Selby is clutch. He is perfect for the season on extra points, something which will likely end up deciding a game at some point this season. It’s not easy finding an automatic kicker in high school, and the Warriors have a great one.
The Red Devils duo of Sparks and Edwards again responded to the Warrior attack, finding the end zone again on a 25-yard touchdown pass where Sparks again moved in the pocket, delivered a strike to Edwards, who again broke several tackles to find pay dirt. Here is where the controversy begins. The Warrior QB1 came right back on the second play of the following drive with a beautiful deep ball to fellow senior Jacob Dye. Dye reeled in the pass and took it 65 yards to again tie the game. But in the words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend.” The refs threw a flag on the play on a call that seemed made up, at least in this writer’s mind. This call not only took 6 points off the board, but eventually lead to a turnover on downs.
Lawrence County went on an 80-yard drive ending with a 23-yard field goal to extend its lead to 10. West Point responded with its own long drive, ending with yet another Cochran TD run from 1 yard out. With a chance to get the ball back on the following series West Point had the Red Devils on a quick third-and-3, only to have Sparks throw a Tebow-esque pop pass to Lee for a 52-yard touchdown that felt like it sealed the deal. The Warriors had more calls go against them, failed to convert on fourth-and-goal, and then a Red Devil punt.
Down 10 with only minutes to play, Cochran continued to find his hot target of the night in Smith and capped off another drive with a touchdown run, this time 4 yards.
Down 3 with only 42 seconds left, the Warriors came up with a huge onside kick. Unfortunately, the comeback attempt came up short with a pick near the end zone that sealed the Red Devil win, sending the Warriors to an 0-2 start.
Despite a disappointing start, this Warriors squad has a ton of talent and a lot of potential the rest of the season.
“Tonight’s game was decided by four or five plays, but we showed we can make big plays. 0-2 isn’t where we want to be, but region play starts next week,” said West Point Head Coach Don Farley.
West Point will host Boaz in its region opener next week.
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