Lawrence holds off feisty Hightstown
HIGHTSTOWN >> Somebody forgot to tell Hightstown it was supposed to be the underdog as the Rams gave visiting Lawrence everything it could handle before falling to the Cardinals, 34-20, on Friday night.
In the end, Hightstown could never figure out how to stop the Lawrence ground game, led by Davon Hemingway who carried the ball for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
The running game did not end there for the Cards, however, as Myles Mitchell-White rushed for over 100 yards and three touchdowns and Zaire Smith gained 55 yards. Even Tanner Adamczyk came in late in the game and was good for 37 yards on Lawrence’s last offensive drive.
Hightstown came out fired up and jumped out to an early 6-0 lead when defensive back Sean Haddock intercepted a pass at the Lawrence 32 and ran it down the right sideline unmolested for a touchdown.
Lawrence went to school on that play. It would be the last pass that the Cards would throw.
The Hightstown defense was still giving Lawrence fits, causing a fumble to stop the next drive and then moving the ball into Cardinal territory before having to punt.
Momentum shifted five plays later when Hemingway broke off a 75 yard touchdown run to give Lawrence a 7-6 lead.
From there, Lawrence recovered an on-side kick and marched 47 yards up the field with Hemingway capping the drive with a seven yard touchdown run. One possession later it was MitchellWhite who ended a 59 yard drive with a 10 yard scoring run of its own.
Just when Lawrence seemed like it might run away with the game, Hightstown answered, needing only five plays to cover 60 yards for a touchdown to make the score 20-13 just before the half.
Hightstown quarterback Matt DeCristofaro didn’t pass often but when he did it was usually to great effect. After completing a 28 yard strike earlier in the game to Serge Felizor on a third and 20 from the Ram 13, he connected again to Felizor This time it was for 17 yards and the touchdown that brought Hightstown to within a score at halftime.
Everything seemed to keep going the Rams’ way to start the second half. They received the kickoff and marched into Lawrence territory in short order. But they fumbled the ball away and Lawrence made it hurt, needing only three plays to score another touchdown and go up 27-13.
Hemmingway started the drive with a 35 yard, reverse field run and it ended with a 14 yard sprint across the goal line by Mitchell-White.
Hightstown stayed on the attack as a 50 yard touchdown pass from DeCristofaro to Felizor made it 27-20 but Hightstown’s next drive would die out at the Lawrence 39. The Cards would then add another touchdown on a 32 yard run by MitchellWhite to ice the game.
H-Haddock 32 interception return (kick failed) L-Hemingway 75 run (Wilson kick) L-Hemingway 7 run (Wilson kick) L-Mitchell-White 10 run (kick blocked) H-Felizor 17 pass from DeCristofaro (Forys kick) L-Mitchell-White 14 run (Wilson kick) H-Felizor 50 pass from DeCristofaro (Forys kick) L-Mitchell-White 32 run (Wilson kick)