Lackey football upends Elkton
Chargers advance to state semifinals at Dunbar
Last Friday night in its 58-28 victory over visiting Elkton High School in a 2A/1A state quarterfinal, the Lackey High School football team opened the contest by scoring 22 points in the first eight minutes then ended it with an exclamation point.
Lackey (9-2) earned the right to face perennial power Dunbar High, a 64-6 winner over Gwynn Park, in one of two 2A/1A state semifinals last Friday by executing well in all three phases and capitalizing on numerous Golden Elks mistakes. The Chargers scored four times in the first quarter, twice on special teams, while basically running the ball on all but three offensively plays.
“That’s Lackey football,” said Chargers’ coach Jimari Jones. “We just love to come out and run the football. That’s what these guys love to do. We took advantage of some turnovers early and then did what we do best.”
Lackey wasted little time gaining the upper hand over Elkton last Friday and the Golden Elks barely weathered the storm. The Chargers marched 68 yards in 10 plays to score first on a 12yard run by quarterback D’Andre
Freeland for a 7-0 lead then the Golden Elks failed to attain a first down on their opening drive and disaster proved imminent.
On fourth down, punter Hugean Greer watched the snap sail over his head and bounce through the back of the end zone for a safety and a 9-0 Chargers’ lead that soon ballooned. Lackey’s Jacob Jones returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards for a touchdown and the Chargers owned a 15-0 lead, but the avalanche had not concluded.
On the Golden Elks’ next possession, quarterback Jayden Triplett had his pass deflected
and then intercepted by Lackey defensive tackle Joquan Adams who scampered to the 10-yard line. On the Chargers’ second play from scrimmage, Freeland called his own number and found the end zone again to vault Lackey to a 22-0 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter.
A pair of rushing touchdowns from Triplett brought the Golden Elks within 22-16 early in the second quarter, but the Chargers responded with 29 unanswered on touchdowns runs from Andre Smith, Somerville and Freeland to extend the lead to 51-16 before the Golden Elks responded with a touchdown toss from Triplett in the final minute of the first half.
Elkton (8-4) had reached last Friday’s 2A/1A state quarterfinals by upending nearby Fallston on a night when the Golden Elks benefited from four turnovers early. But last Friday night at Lackey it was Elkton that could not avoid the mistakes or overcome them. Despite the setback, coach Matt Feeney commended his players for their effort.
“One thing about these guys is they never give up,” Feeney said. “I know they’re going to continue to battle right to the end. We fell behind [22-0] in the first quarter and by the second quarter we were only down one score [22-16]. We just committed too many mistakes. But I’m proud of these guys. We made the playoffs and won two games. Anytime you get to play in the state quarterfinals you’ve had a successful season.”
Following a frenetic first half in which the teams combined for 73 points, neither team
scored in the third quarter and each team only found the end zone once in the fourth quarter. On its first possession of the fourth quarter, Elkton reached the doorstep of the end zone but was denied when Ian Brown was stopped at the Chargers’ two-yard line on fourth down and goal.
Having prevented Elkton from scoring the first touchdown of the second half for either team, Lackey wasted little time attaining that small feat. On the Chargers’ first play from scrimmage following the denial, Lackey running back Jamari Somerville found a hole off left tackle, shook off several potential tacklers downfield and raced 98 yards for a touchdown that gave the Chargers a 58-22 lead and invoked the running clock.
“I just kept moving my feet,” Somerville said of his 98-yard jaunt. “I just tried o keep going as fast as I could. Our offensive line was great all night. Without those guys, we would not have been able to score so much.”