Lewis County tops Riverside 22-0 (Report Inside)

[donhaney]

The legendary Bob Neyland was probably the game's most ardent proponent of the thought that defense and the kicking game wins football games. He would have been proud of the LCHS Panthers this evening who showcased a stingy defense and an opportunistic kicking game to avenge their only loss of the season with a 22-0 shutout of the Riverside Panthers.

 

Lewis County used both to dominate the battle of field position which became extremely important on a field that was soft and muddy and reduced both offenses to winning the battle of power football.

 

With Lewis County holding a 10-0 lead late in the third quarter, Brad Kellogg led a contingent of Panthers through the line and blocked a Riverside kick which gave the hosts a first down at the Riverside 9 yard line. Three plays later, David Sharp snuck in from a yard away to make it 16-0. Riverside was unable to produce and punted again and this time, Kevin Skelton broke loose on a 64 yard punt return to set up Michael Sowell's 11 yard scoring run and make the score 22-0, which is the the way things finished.

 

The Panthers first score came on a 35 yard field goal on the final play of the first half by David Sharp which sent the hosts into the locker room with a 3-0 advantage. The Panthers took the second half kickoff and marched 54 yards in ten plays with sophomore fullback Marcus Booker covering the final nine yards to extend the lead to 10-0. And then it was up to the defense which definitely made a statement.

 

In their first encounter in week three, Riverside rolled up 336 yards of offense with talented tailback Jerry Golder rushing for 192 yards on 19 carries. Tonight, the defense never resembled the same team from that game, limiting Riverside to just 119 total yards on 46 offensive plays with Golder gaining 99 yards on 25 carries. Their passing attack, which worked well in week three was limited to just 21 yards on 4 completions in 15 attempts.

 

Lewis County rushed for 191 yards on 48 carries, content to play ball control and keep things inside most of the evening. Sharp was 3-4 passing for 32 yards with Kellogg latching onto all of the completions. The Panthers totalled 223 yards on 52 plays.

 

Sharp punted twice for a 40.0 average while Riverside punted 7 times for a 25.7 average, another key element in the battle for field position.

 

The win moves the Panthers into a round three matchup at McKenzie next week.

[TheExpert]

Sadly, the Yellowjackets of Fairview couldn't close the deal and set up a Region 5 rematch. I'll wish your team well.

[Reporter]

Congrats to the Panthers for their win. McKenzie will be ready for you, I can assure you.

[BDURHAM]

Hey Expert, what are the odds of Lewis County winning this game?

 

Do you see this Lewis County team making it to Murfreesboro?

 

And where are all those posters from Lewis County who said ole Coach Sharp wasn't that sharp?

[donhaney]

Stan my man, I am no expert but I'll give you a thought or two. As for Lewis County making it to Murfreesboro, I think the coaching staff has really done a fantastic job of getting the guys to stay focused, one game at a time. The biggest game of the year is this Friday night at McKenzie, in round three, the round which has been an albatross to the program for many years. Lewis County has made it to the semifinals only once, that being in 1979, and that was when there were only 16 teams in the playoffs.

 

As for making it to a fourth round, it has never happened so the staff and team are really motivated for this game. Plus, give McKenzie their due, they gave us a thrashing last year at home so there is a lot of extra motivation there. But right now, the only focus is one game at a time.

 

As for the Coach Sharp detractors, they will show up after the last game of the season.. and then we will hear about how our offense (4800 yards in 12 games) is just too predictable...HA

 

I bet I know where you will be this coming Friday night? heh heh

[Guest checkerboard]

I think Lewis County will probably win this Friday night. Mckenzie appears to be a little weak this year when you break down their schedule and their Win-Loss record. It's the next week that will be on the Lewis County faithful's minds. Can Lewis County go all the way? Yep. Will they? Probably not. Why? Hoping to win vs. Expecting to win. Lewis County is more afraid of Milan than they are of scheduling a non-region opponent with a chance to beat them.

 

 

School Classification Record

Moore County A 3-7

Mt. Pleasant A 0-10

Harpeth AA 2-8

Riverside AA 6-4

Fairview AA 7-3

Lawrence Co. AAAA 1-8

Waverly AA 8-2

Perry County A 2-8

Richland AA 1-9

Loretto AA 6-4

 

Opponent's wins.......36

Opponent's losses.....63

 

Average Opponent's Winning Percentage...36.4%

 

Single A opponent's combined records...5-25...(3 Opponents)

Double A opponent's combined records...30-30..(6 Opponents)

Four A opponent's combined records...1-8....(1 Opponent)

[Edited by checkerboard on 11-17-02 5:59A]

 

[TheExpert]

You are the most miserable excuse for a "fan" that I have ever seen on this website. With you, nobody could ever win. Maybe you see yourself as some sort of visionary, I see you as rotted flesh!

 

The Panthers win this week, great, you predicted it.. they lose next week, the mighty Checkerboard knew it. They WIN next week and it was YOU who inspired them! Why don't you go find another team to harrass, I mean support?