Freedom — “That was great” “Go for it,” Labray coach John Elliott yelled to his players after the Vikings came from behind to beat Warren J.F. K. 17-14 in a game at Liberty High School on Saturday.
“My kids aren’t giving up.” Elliot said. “They fight harder than anybody I’ve ever seen. They don’t give up until the clock hits zero, and that’s exactly what they did tonight.”
After neither team could score in the first quarter, Labrai (3-0) lost the ball on the first play of the second quarter.
“We were underdogs coming into this game.” “We’re a great team,” Labray quarterback Kenny Yoho said. “We played hard and fought until the end. I’m excited for the rest of the season. We can win every game that’s on the schedule. We’re a great opponent for anyone.”
The Eagles (2-1) took advantage of a turnover by quarterback Freddie Borchork on a slant pass to LaMarcus Provitt, who ran 73 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown and the two-point conversion gave JFK an 8-0 lead.
The Vikings fought back, with Treyton Daley running 29 yards to the 13-yard line before Easton Armstrong capped off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run to make the score 8-7.
“I really like our offensive line.” “It’s a very emotional experience,” said Eric Leibold, a junior at Lovellae High School. “Our offensive line did a good job creating holes for our running backs and our defense came out big at the end. We were all excited and knew we could get it done.”
The Eagles led 14-7 by halftime on a first-down run by Steven Thomas, then Borchork scored on a 21-yard quarterback keeper but couldn’t convert on a two-point attempt.
The Eagles got an interception by Marcus Komola early in the second half, but the Vikings defense prevented a 30-yard field goal attempt by JFK from succeeding.
Lovellae tied the score at 14-14 with a long drive and Dillon Bate’s 8-yard touchdown run with 2:37 left in the third quarter.
“At halftime we came out and said it was our turn.” Elliot said. “This is our second half. We’re going to come out and do what we have to do.”
The Vikings got the ball back and Yoho threaded a pass to Bransen Hawkins up the middle for a 20-yard gain. The JFK defense kept Lovellay out of the end zone, but senior kicker Josh Beery made a 22-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 17-14 lead with 4:09 left in the half.
“We wanted to finish the game then and there.” Elliot said. “JFK played well, and we had to play defense again. I don’t think anyone gave JFK enough credit going into the season. They’re a pretty good football team. I watched the film and it scared me. We have a tough game against Garfield next week, and now we need to be ready for them.”
The Eagles had two more chances to tie the score, and the game looked like it might be over when Labray got an interception, but JFK forced a turnover on downs. JFK got the ball again, but the Vikings defense thwarted the Eagles’ advances and the game was over.
“Going into the game we knew it was going to be two great teams playing each other.” Said Eagles coach Damon Buente: “They played better than us, that’s all. It was a mistake on my part. It’s a lesson as a head coach. We need to get better.”
“We play Grand Valley next week. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. It’s about us. We have to get better. We had a lot of penalties tonight. It’s on me to fix that and make amends.”
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