With no playoff possibilities on the line and their seasons ending when the clock expired, both Atlee and Lee-Davis took to the field Friday night looking to close out their 2008 campaigns on a high note. In such respect, both teams walked away from the field winners in a game that was not decided until the final minute.
Held scoreless by the staunch Atlee defense in three quarters of the game, the Lee-Davis offense exploded for 24 second period points in a hard-fought 24-21 win over the Raiders.
Throughout the first quarter, home-standing Atlee had momentum clearly rolling in their favor. Forced to punt on their first possession, the Raiders recovered the botched Lee-Davis catch on the Confederates’ 12-yard line to quickly put them in scoring position. Two plays later, Atlee quarterback Dylan Garthright found Shaquille Williams open in the right corner of the end zone for an 11-yard score. The PAT by Jordan Booth put the Raiders ahead 7-0 with 5:17 left in the first.
When Atlee got the ball back from Lee-Davis once again, the Raiders moved down the field on sweeps by Micah Spiers and the crisp passing of Garthright. Atlee then added to their tally on a 5-yard run up the middle from Garthright. The failed PAT made the score 13-0 with 1:30 left in the opening period.
Lee-Davis head coach Jason Meade was not surprised the Atlee offense started strong against his team. “Coach (Roscoe) Johnson does a great job with those guys,” Meade said. “They exploited some of those things we needed to stop early on. They got a trips package and hurt us a little bit.”
Though stifled throughout the first quarter, the Lee-Davis offense got things rolling in the second when Meade, as he has done throughout the season, switched from senior Will Burton at quarterback to junior Phillip Gardner.
Gardner marched the Confederates down the field by hitting T.J. Harvey on back to back crossing patterns then put them on the scoreboard with a three yard keeper. The failed two-point conversion left Atlee ahead 13-6 with 6:47 left in the half
However, taking advantage of the momentum, the Lee-Davis defense shut down Atlee and got the ball back to score again three minutes later when Burton connected with Tucker Walton on a screen pass. Walton pulled in the ball on his own 50 and rumbled down the middle of the field for a 64-yard score. The PAT by Brandon Angus knotted the game at 13.
Once again the Confederates’ defense did their job and Lee-Davis got the ball back with over two-minutes in the half. Aided by poorly-timed Raiders’ penalties, the Confederates moved down the field to score once more on a 13-yard pass from Burton to Will Connerley. Angus ran in the two-point conversion to push the Confederates’ ahead 21-13 with 1:24 to play in the period.
But Lee-Davis was not through. Instead of running out the clock when they reclaimed possession in the final seconds of the half, Burton connected on a long pass to the right side to set up a 38-yard field goal by Angus and make the Lee-Davis lead 24-13 at the break.
The opening minutes of the third quarter signaled a trend that would continue throughout the remainder of the game. On Atlee’s initial possession, Connerley stepped in front of a Raiders’ receiver for an interception.
However, when Lee-Davis looked to score off the turnover, Atlee’s Matt Peay returned the favor on an end zone interception of Burton.
Once again the Confederates got the ball back on a punt but as Gardner, back in at quarterback, drove Lee-Davis towards a score, Atlee linebacker Josh Doggett picked off the pass at the five.
Yet again, the Raiders gave the ball up on the ensuing drive when William Coalson picked off a Garthright pass at the 24.
But the Atlee defense stood tall and forced Lee-Davis to punt. Carried on the legs of Spiers, the Raiders drove the length of the field and scored on a 3-yard run by Hunter Brooks with 6:12 left in the third. Garthright then connected with Jaired Epps on the conversion and the Confederates’ lead was trimmed to 24-21.
In the fourth, Atlee was the aggressor on offense but saw opportunities to retake the lead repeatedly slip away on key plays.
Sitting at fourth-and-four on the Confederates’ 26, the Atlee coaching staff decided to go for a first down rather than attempt a game-tying field goal. “We were out of the range of my kicker,” Johnson said. “We’ve struggled a little bit kicking this year and I did not want to put him in a situation where he could get blocked.”
But on the ensuing pass play, Angus picked off the throw at the 20 to end the Atlee drive.
Yet, the Raiders’ defense, led by Doggett, who finished the game with 22 solo tackles and six assists, continued to stymie the Confederates’ offense and midway through the period Atlee looked as if they were going to be in good position when forced a punt deep in Lee-Davis territory.
However, Burton bailed out the Confederates with one of his biggest plays of the night, which ironically came from his foot instead of his throwing arm. Serving double-duty as the punter, Burton unleashed a 40-plus yard boot that pinned Atlee on its own 15-yard line.
“That was a nice little deal,” Meade said. “We’ve been working on it for a little while.”
Even though it was his first season punting, Burton shrugged off the long kick. “I guess I just got the feel for it after a few kicks.”
Though a long way from the goal, Atlee threatened and for a moment looked as if they would take the lead. Garthright connected with Williams for what appeared to be a 75-yard touchdown only to have it called back on a block in the back. Still, the Raiders continued to move down the field only to have Coalson snag his second interception of the night with 3:32 to play.
Despite the setback, Atlee was not through and forced Lee-Davis to punt but once again Burton did the leg work, pinning the Raiders on their own one in the final minute.
With :58 seconds to play, Garthright scrambled away from a tackle in the end zone only to see his pass intercepted by Angus for the second time of the night essentially ending the game.
Though Garthright was picked off numerous times throughout the game, Johnson attributed the turnovers to miscommunications among his young receivers rather than his quarterback. “We’re still a young,” Johnson said. “People don’t realize we’re starting a freshman and some sophomores and a couple of juniors at receiver.”
Both coaches were complimentary of their opponent’s effort. “Both teams went at it hard,” Johnson said. “I know our guys gave it everything they had for the seniors. The plan was, ‘let’s go out for the seniors and let’s take them out on a winning note. And if we don’t win lets just fight. Let’s make sure we’re in it until the end.”
Lee-Davis 0 24 0 0 – 24
Atlee 13 0 8 0 – 21
A – Williams 11 pass form Garthright (Booth kick)
A – Garthright 5 run (kick failed)
LD- Gardner 3 run (pass failed)
LD- Walton 64 pass from Burton (Angus kick)
LD- Connerley 13 pass from Burton (Angus run)
LD- FG Angus 38
A - Brooks 3 run (Epps pass from Garthright)
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