By Thomas Grant Jr.
A 0-2 start in Region 4-5A was the fate that appeared destined for Lexington football last Friday at Cecil Woolbright Field.
Coming off a 34-8 home loss to Irmo, the Wildcats found themselves trailing Chapin 23-6 in the second quarter.
Just before halftime, sophomore quarterback Brennan Carter threw a 50-yard touchdown to bring Lexington to within 23-13. It was the ignition point of a comeback which ended with a Carter touchdown pass to Nigel Lewis with 43 seconds left and PAT which proved to be the difference in the 33-32 victory.
“I think you just have to stay steady and positive as coaches and players, but you also must capitalize on breaks and opportunities when they come, and for the most part Friday we did that,” said Lexington head coach Dustin Curtis about his gameplan after falling behind. “ Correction wise, defensively we just jumped in a little man to man because they really do a great job of formationing you to death.
“On offense, we started to spread (Chapin) out more to open up the run, mixed in a few RPO’s and went heavy in the red zone. We challenged our kids this week to respond better to adversity and to be more physical at the point of attack on offense, and I am proud of how we played.”
Carter had the steady hand at quarterback for the Wildcats in the second half. Curtis praised his level-headedness after the slow start and his mobility in picking up first downs was crucial.
Having wide receivers Lewis and Zareth Owens step on “in big moments to make some huge plays” was also big for Lexington, Curtis said. Lewis also contributed on defense along with defensive back Logan Clarkson who had an interception.
Other unsung heroes from the victory were running backs Bennett Watford, who rushed for two touchdowns, and Torie Jones, offensive linemen Matthew Wilkie and tight end Wesley Gorsage.
Lexington (5-2. 1-1) will look to carry over its momentum into Friday’s home matchup with undefeated defending Class 5A champion Dutch Fork. The Silver Foxes (6-0, 2-0) are riding a 14-game winning streak and are coming off their fourth shutout win of the season in a 38-0 win over White Knoll.
A year after winning the region title with a win over the Silver Foxes and facing them in the state final the Timberwolves (5-2, 0-2) find themselves tied with Chapin for last place. Up next is a matchup with the other undefeated region team Irmo.
Dutch Fork has won the last 10 meetings against Lexington and are 11-1 with head coach Tom Knotts. The Wildcats’ last victory in the series was in 2011 in a 56-49 win.
Gators suffer first loss
It was a battle of ranked undefeated teams in Region 4-5A at W.C. Hawkins Stadium between Irmo and River Bluff.
The Gators were without starter Parker Murray and were seeking to snap a 2-game losing streak to the Yellow Jackets. River Bluff was unable to slow down Shrine Bowl quarterback
