LaFayette falls to Ranburne 33-12 on the road

BY DANIEL SCHMIDT

FOR THE LAFAYETTE SUN

LAFAYETTE — After starting the season undefeated with two dominant victories, LaFayette High School looked to continue its hot streak with its first region game at Ranburne High School on Sept. 5.

Instead, it was LHS (2-1, 0-1) that lost the battle of the Bulldogs to RHS (2-1, 1-0) 33-12 as Creed Young’s and Aiden Whitman’s four combined rushing touchdowns and an opportunistic RHS defense set the tone early.

It initially appeared that LHS had the upper hand in the game after scoring on just the second play of the game after receiving the ball on its own 31 yard line. That score came after Kemare Harrington scrambled and found ZaQuarius Jackson on a short pass that became a 67-yard TD catch after Jackson sped his way through the heart of the RHS defense.

That gave the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead with 10:55 left to play in the first quarter after they failed to convert the two-point conversion.

After neither team was able to score on their next possession, RHS finally matched LHS’ first-drive touchdown with an eight-play, 49-yard drive that culminated with a 6-yard rushing TD from Cason Jones with just over two minutes left in the first quarter.

Now down 7-6 toward the end of the first quarter, LHS found itself with excellent field position after returning the kickoff to midfield. However, a fourth-and-1 at the RHS 41 became a fourth-and-six after a false start penalty, and an incomplete pass ensured the promising drive ended with a turnover on downs.

With less than a minute left in the first quarter, RHS started a second-straight drive in or near LHS territory. RHS ultimately capped that drive off with a second-straight touchdown after Whitman eventually followed his 33-yard run to the LHS 21 yard line with an 8-yard TD run on third-and-goal.

That gave RHS a 13-6 lead just over nine minutes into the second quarter after the extra point was missed.

Following a kickoff return that made it all the way to the RHS 37 yard line, it appeared LHS was well on its way to responding to RHS’ scoring onslaught. That drive did not live up to its promise after RHS recovered a fumble on the very next play and advanced the ball all the way down to the LHS 14 yard line.

With eight minutes left in the second quarter, Whitman quickly cashed in on the golden opportunity with a 6-yard rushing TD on fourth-and-goal. After a second-straight extra point attempt failed to connect, that gave RHS a 19-6 lead with just over six minutes left in the second quarter.

That was the last time either team scored in the first half.

Entering the second half, the LHS defense needed to steel its spine after RHS began the third quarter with the ball and eventually marched down to the LHS 24 yard line with a 10-play, 55-yard drive that consumed more than six minutes.

LHS ultimately stood strong and forced RHS to turn over the ball on downs at the LHS 25 yard line.

After that LHS possession lost yards, RHS took over at the RHS 41 yard line with three minutes left in the third quarter. That RHS drive ended with a 1-yard rushing TD from Young and a successful two-point conversion rush from Whitman that gave RHS a 27-6 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter.

Following a LHS three-and-out, RHS added its fifth and final touchdown of the evening with a nine-play, 68-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard rushing touchdown from McAdams that made it 33-6 with eight minutes left to play after the two-point conversion attempt failed.

With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Jeremiah Whitlow provided LHS with something to build on with an incredible 76-yard rushing TD that saw him take a handoff on the right hash, break several tackles and cut back across the field.

That cut into RHS’ lead and ended the scoring after the extra point attempt was missed with RHS up 33-12.

What’s Next

The Bulldogs will return home to host Loachapoka High School in a 2A Region 4 game on Sept. 12. LHS is currently 1-2 overall and 0-1 in region play, and coming off a 41-7 loss to Lanett High School. So far, the Indians have scored 25.7 points per game while allowing 32 points per game.