LINCOLNTON - The Red Devils were unable to avoid a pass-based comeback two weeks in a row as Laney scored with four minutes left to take a 20-14 victory here last Friday night.
The Class AA Wildcats used a short passing game to convert on five third downs on the 17-play, 74-yard go-ahead drive. The back breaker for the Devils was a 31-yard pass to the 50 when Laney faced 3rd-&-30 at their 19.
Unfortunately the officials played a key role in the game, with 11 flags walked off against the Devils for 130 yards. Six of those were 15-yarders. Laney was flagged seven times for 50 yards with only one 15-yard call.
Trey Huff led the offensive attack for the Devils with 130 total yards. He rushed nine times for 104 yards including a 45-yard touchdown. The junior completed three of four pass attempts for 26 yards and one touchdown. Tevin Gartrell carried 11 times for 62 yards.
As a team, the Devils totaled 246 yards of offense, with rushing accounting for 221 of that total on 30 carries. Laney passed for 171 yards and ran for 35 for a total 206.
After the two teams exchanged punts on their initial drives, the Red Devils took over at the Wildcat 30 after a 13-yard Laney punt. Two runs by Semaji Jenkins gained fifteen yards. A holding penalty pushed the Devils back to the 28 before turning the ball over on downs at the 20.
After forcing another punt, Lincoln County took over on its 45 with a minute left in the first quarter. Two more runs by Jenkins gained 18. Huff rolled left on a bootleg for 16 yards to the 25. Gartrell bulled ahead for eight yards. Huff found Judson Beggs open for five yards and a first down at the 12. C. J. Zellars gained one. Huff then found Jack Antonakos open on a crossing pattern behind the defenders. The 15-yard TD pass came at the 10:10 mark of the second quarter. Cameron Miller booted the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
Another punt exchange put the ball in Laney's hands at its 45 with 3:19 left in the half. Four passes setup a two-yard rushing touchdown with just over a minute remaining in the second. The two-point run effort came up short, leaving the halftime score 7-6.
Laney took the second half kickoff and marched down the gridiron on eleven plays. The key play on the drive was by the officials with thirty yards of penalties on an incomplete pass play that moved the ball into LC territory. The Wildcat quarterback scored on a one-yard run with just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. The PAT pass play gave the visitors a 14-7 lead.
Josiah Jones returned the ensuing kickoff fifty yards to the Laney 45. Huff faked a handoff and rolled right, went around the end and outran two defenders the 45 yards to the end zone. Miller booted the PAT to tie the game at 14-all with 6:35 left in the quarter.
Two more 15-yard penalties moved the Wildcats to the LC 31. Great defensive efforts forced three incomplete passes. A blitz on fourth down led Laney to turn the ball over on downs at the LC 43.
Huff rushed for 20 yards on a play similar to his touchdown run. Zellars and Gartrell each gained ten yards to reach the Laney 12. Gartrell carried three defenders to reach the three. A 2-yard run was nullified by an illegal procedure call. Zellars rushed for four, but the Devils were penalized ten yards and loss of down. The Devil coaches called a timeout to get an explanation from the officials. Facing 3rd-&-12 at the 14, a pass fell incomplete. The Devils were assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play. With fourth down and 27 at the 29, the Devils opted to punt.
Uncharacteristically, the kick was poor and only netted three yards. Laney took over at the 26 with 53 seconds left in the third. The scoring drive took over eight minutes off the clock.
With 4:12 remaining, Gartrell returned the kickoff to the LC 34. Huff rushed for four before Jenkins gained nine for a first down at the LC 47. A fumble at midfield ended the scoring effort.
The Wildcats picked up two first downs as they were running down the clock. A delay of game penalty gave Laney a third down at the 31. The quarterback took a knee to setup fourth down. The quarterback took another knee and the teams thought the game was over. The officials said there was a tick left on the clock, but then inexplicably let Laney have another down instead of Lincoln County having a final gasp offensive play. Another knee ended the game, but the finish only added to the officiating concerns by the Red Devil faithful.
For the second half, the Devils had possession for around five minutes and eleven offensive plays. Laney ran over forty plays.
The Devils came into the game ranked fifth in the AJC Class A Public Top 10. With the loss they should drop in the rankings.
Looking at other Region 8-A Public teams in action last Friday night, Washington-Wilkes beat Warren County 36-13, Commerce lost to Elbert County 27-14, and Social Circle fell to Putnam County 42-22. Greene County edged Hancock Central 16-14 while Towns County traveled five hours to whip Baconton Charter 48-20.
This Friday, the Red Devils hit the road for the first time this season as they travel into Columbia County to visit Harlem. The Class AAA Bulldogs are 1-2 this season with a win over Greenbrier and losses to Evans and Aquinas. The pigskin will fly at 7:30.
THE STATS
Stat - LC - Laney
First Downs - 12 - 16
Rushing - 30/221 - 33/35
Passing - 3/4/26/0 - 19/26/171/0
Punting - 3/23 - 3/27
Penalties - 11/130 - 7/50
Fumbles/Lost - 1/1 - 20