LH stumps late push to remain perfect
PEARCY — Greenbrier found success with its third quarterback of the night after Lake Hamilton came out flat, but the Wolves managed to hold on for a 33-14 win over the Panthers at Wolf Stadium Friday night.
The Wolves (7-0, 5-0 6A-west) went up 27-0 before the Panthers (2-4, 1-3) got on the scoreboard with 18 seconds left in the third quarter. Owen Scribner found Carter Mcelhany behind the Wolves’ offense for what turned out to be an 80-yard touchdown pass, and Logan Graham’s kick pulled the visiting team within 20.
“I think our kids played real hard,” said Greenbrier head coach Randy Tribble. “You know, we lost our quarterback early, and then a kid that was a two-way starter early due to a bad ankle. It kind of sent us reeling a little bit, but we kind of settled in.”
Lake Hamilton did not score until its third drive of the night as Justin Crutchmer scored his first of three touchdowns with 1:56 off the clock in the second quarter. The senior broke up the middle for a 69-yard run, but a bad snap on the kick left Easton Hurley searching for a receiver before being taken down around the 5-yard line.
“When you watch film, sometimes it’s a detriment to your kids because they just beat a team 60-21. … In their mind they’re thinking (it will be easy), and it’s never good,” Lake Hamilton head coach Tommy Gilleran said, referencing the Wolves’ win over Van Buren last week.
With just 10 seniors listed on the Panthers’ roster, Tribble had to rely on his younger players quite a bit all night.
“I was proud of how hard our kids played and fought,” he said. “You know, I’ve gotten a lot of young guys playing, and sometimes we looked out there on defense and we had six sophomores out there at times. But I’m just proud of the way they battled and hung in there with them.”
Scribner, who handled the ball for the Panthers most of the night, is also a sophomore, and Tribble was impressed by his performance.
“We don’t get those backups enough reps during the week,” the veteran coach said. “It’s hard to with the time you have, but he did some good things, you know, some things we can build on.”
In addition to leading the Wolves offensively, Crutchmer was one of the team’s top defenders with five tackles and two pass breakups.
“He’s a heck of a player every Friday night,” Gilleran said. “You know, what’s crazy is he hasn’t got any Division I offers. … It doesn’t make any sense that a kid like Crutchmer that can run the ball, catch the ball and play defense that somebody’s not taking a chance on that kid.”
Crutchmer finished the night with a game-high 213 yards on 20 carries and three touchdowns. Hurley went 3-for-5 passing for 20 yards and had 11 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown despite being sacked twice for a total of 17 yards.
Kendrick Martin had 12 carries for 63 yards and a TD along with a 7-yard reception, and Evan Payton had four carries for 35 yards. Gavin Thomason tallied 16 yards on two carries, Izic Clenney picked up 5 yards on a pair of runs, and Jacob Muddiman had two catches for 13 yards.
Scribner was 8-for-15 passing for 203 yards with an interception and two scores, Kane Griffin was 3-for-5 passing for 70 yards, and Kane Richardson was 0-for1. Seth Reed led the Panthers on the ground with 11 carries for 37 yards, Parker Roberts had four carries for 14 yards, Richardson added 8 yards on a pair of runs, and Griffin had 6 on two runs.
Mcelhany was Scribner’s top target, catching six passes for 187 yards and both touchdowns. Miles Miller had three catches for 57 yards, Izzy Guzman had one catch for 18 yards, and Lawson Worthey had a catch for 11 yards.