Gordon Lee cranks up the defense against Lakeview
After starting out the 2016 season with a loss, the Gordon Lee Middle School Trojans have righted the ship in a big way.
They continued their course toward a possible NGAC Western Division title with a 36-6 win over Eastern Division foe Lakeview in Fort Oglethorpe on Thursday.
Defense was the name of the game for the Trojans as they held the Warriors to minus-18 yards in the first half and 59 total for the game. A total of 54 yards came on just one Lakeview drive.
The Warriors ran just three plays in the first period and had just 10 offensive snaps in the first half as Gordon Lee’s rushing attack chewed up the clock and ripped off yardage in chunks. They dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 21 minutes to just 11 minutes for Lakeview.
The Trojans opened with a six-minute drive that ended in the first of Henry Ellis’ two touchdown runs. Brody Cobb would add the 2point conversion. Cobb would find the end zone on Gordon Lee’s next possession, a 10-play march, capped by a 3-yard run that put the Trojans up 14-0.
A Jake Neal interception got the ball back for Gordon Lee and this time the run set up the pass as quarterback Blake Groce connected with Cade Peterson on a 39-yard scoring strike with Ellis adding the conversion.
Ellis would add a 44yard TD run on the Trojans’ next possession and a 23-yard TD reception by Neal would cap the scoring for Gordon Lee.
Ellis finished with 148 yards on 15 carries, while Cobb picked up 74 yards on 11 rushes. Ryan Eldridge had 12 tough yards on three carries late in the game.
The Gordon Lee defense held Lakeview to 0 of 5 passing. Cameron Oliver recorded two sacks, three tackles for loss and one pass break-up. Neal and Dylan Burnette also had one sack each, while Bryce James had four tackles and played the edge to perfection.
Gordon Lee (4-1) will put its four-game winning streak on the line Thursday when they host resurgent Rossville (3-1), who has won three straight.
The winner will take the lead in the Western Division standings with one week remaining before the playoffs.