Coming off a 42 to 8 thumping of Wingfield two weeks ago and with Lanier losing to Wingfield last week, it’s natural to believe the Forest Hill Patriots were a tad bit over confident. One of the great things about sports is that you have to play the game on the field or court or whatever venue you use. Winning on paper is not allowed. Perhaps like many of their fans, the patriots were looking towards their matchup next week against undefeated Callaway. Would you blame them?
On the first play of the game, quarterback Isaiah James completed a screen pass to running back Jabari Baker who dodged one defender and blew by the rest of the Bulldog defense for a 78 yard touchdown. Patriots fans went wild, Bulldog fans looked dejected. The extra point was no good, Forest Hill led 6 to 0.
The gridiron Bulldogs bounced back. Utilizing a short quick strike passing game along with a solid running game, the Bulldogs marched down the field to score a touchdown. Antonio Morris’ extra point was good and the Bulldogs led 7 to 6 in the first quarter.
Forest Hill’s offensive line had a tough task of trying to keep the Lanier defense out of the backfield. The Bulldog defense is led by linebacker Teddrick Terrell, a senior with the ability to deliver bone jarring hits as well as drop back into pass coverage. Throughout the game Terrell and the Lanier linebackers were constantly running down running backs and receivers. To the surprise of many in attendance, the game was tied at 14 at the half.
Turnovers played a critical role in this football game. Fumbles and interceptions stopped potential scoring drives by both teams. Isaiah James of Forest Hill had a tough night passing the ball. He uncharacteristically threw three interceptions. One of his passes was intercepted by Jarrett Smith of Lanier and he dashed into the endzone. Smith also recovered a fumble and made some big tackles for the Bulldog defense. The defense produced 5 turnovers on the night.
However, successful quarterbacks have short memories of bad plays. They also use other attributes to lead their team to victory. James began scrambling to buy himself some time to find receivers. He completed some nice passes to receiver Shaquan Holmes and senior Devon Davis to keep drives going.
With the passing game gaining some yards, the patriots began running the ball more. Jabari Baker and Marquis Hedge helped take precious time of the clock. Isaiah James even called his own number on a few running plays. He scored two touchdowns after nearly throwing another interception.
Lanier’s Deronnie Spencer ran the ball effectively for the Bulldogs all night. Combined with the running attack, the Bulldogs’ quarterback, Devante Divinity, made some nice completions to his twin brother Delvin Divinity, and to 6 foot 3 inch senior Adam Towers throughout the game. The game was tied at 28 very late into the fourth quarter.
Forest Hill recovers a fumble deep into Lanier territory. Three plays later, Jabari Baker punches the ball into the endzone. After the Patriots’ touchdown, the Bulldogs had 40 seconds to tie the game. Fourth down, with the clock expiring, Divinity’s pass is intercepted by senior strong safety Shaquille Thompson sealing the victory for Forest Hill.
Next up for the patriots is Callaway. Both teams enter the game 3 & 0. Lanier dropped to 2 & 2 and have a bye this week.
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