KellyBabyxxFEARxx's blog: "DISTRICT FOOTBALL GAMES ON THE ROAD TO STATE"

For the first time in 15 years, the Lakers left the field against Lebanon with a loss. The Lakers fell to 1-1 in district play with a 28-21 loss to the Yellow Jackets Friday night. Lebanon moved the ball up and down the field in the first quarter, but was unable to score. With the score tied at zero in the beginning of the second quarter, Yellow Jacket QB Ryan Howelton hit Phillip Archen for an 11-yard score. Archen leads the state in passing yards. Blaine Bach and the Camdenton offense answered back with a sc ore of their own. Bach set up the touchdown with a 25 yard scamper. 15-yards was added to the play due to a face mask, to put Camdenton at the nine. Bach punched it in a few plays later from the three to tie the game at seven. Camdenton took the lead later in the second quarter off of a shanked Lebanon punt that gave Camdenton the ball at the Yellow Jacket 20. Simpson punched it in from the one to give the Lakers ahead with just over five minutes left before the half. Howelton hit Archen again for a touchdown, this one from 24 yards out to tie the game at 14. The Lakers came out in the second half and controlled the ball for most of the third quarter. Their opening drive lasted nearly eight minutes, as they drove the length of the field. A pivotal play in the game was the fourth-and 22 that the Lakers faced at around midfield. On the play Simpson scrambled right evaded a would-be-tackler, before rolling left and finding an open Cayden Shockley for the first down. Simpson credited the offensive line for that play for giving him enough time to find Shockley. This was something Simpson would not be afforded late in the game. The drive was capped off with Simpson’s second rushing touchdown of the game. Going into the fourth quarter the Lakers were clinging to a 21-14 lead, and Shore liked his team’s chances. “I felt good, but never felt that confident,” Shore said. “We couldn’t put the game away.” Lebanon’s Brett Smith took over in the fourth quarter, to help put the Yellow Jackets in the lead for good. With 9:55 left he carried the ball 41 yards for a touchdown. But the big play came with 3:41 left when he took a sixty yard screen pass to the eight yard line. Lebanon would score a few plays later to make the score 28-21. On the ensuing kick off, Camdenton took a personal foul penalty to start at the 10 yard line. However Simpson’s first pass of the drive was intercepted, and returned to the two. Camdenton was given one more opportunity when Lebanon fumbled the snap on the next play. However Simpson again was not given time to throw the ball, which Shore said limited the play calling. Despite the loss, Shore said the team could not get down, and had no time to fret over the loss. With two teams advancing from each district, the Lakers are still very much alive for a place in the state playoffs. How the game was won