Lamar smashes HKT quickly in second round of playoffs
By Drake Horton, Contributing Writer
Quick, fast and dominate; those are the three words used to describe Lamar this past Friday as the Silver Foxes began their quest to make a third straight state championship appearance.
Behind a fast striking offense and dominate defense, the Silver Foxes jumped on Hunter-Kinard-Tyler as quick as possible as Lamar, coming off an opening round bye, cruised to an easy 55-8 victory over the Trojans in the second round of the 1A playoffs.
“I’m just proud of these guys; they came out ready to play,” Lamar head coach Corey Fountain said. “We had a good week of practice so I knew they were focused. Hopefully we can just keep working hard and take it one practice at a time, one game at a time.”
Lamar was scoring so quick that by the 8:15 mark in the first quarter the Silver Foxes already had 21-0 lead and that was just the beginning. By the time the opening period was over it was 35-0.
The game was such a dominating performance that Lamar brought in the backups to start the second quarter all while the officials instituted a running clock in the same period because of lopsidedness of the game.
And while the second team may not have had a 35-point quarter, it proved to be just as effective against the HKT defense, scoring a touchdown a piece in the second, third and fourth quarters.
The Trojans, who had upset Whitmire the week before in the opening round of the 1A playoffs by a score of 50-10, was never in the same class as Lamar when it came to on the field play.
On the Trojans first offensive possession, HKT fumbled and Lamar’s Jeblonski Green recovered it returning it for a touchdown.
If that was not bad enough, the Trojans didn’t convert their first first-down until the second quarter after the Silver Foxes’ score had already gone up 42-0.
The first quarter was basically a two-man show as Green and Jacquez Lucas scored all five of the Silver Foxes touchdowns. Lucas had three scores, a 50-yard run on the first drive of the game, a 25 yarder at the 8:15 mark and a 30-yard scamper that capped the scoring off in the first quarter.
Green, to go along with his scoop and score on defense, also added a 55-yard touchdown run that put the Silver Foxes up 28-0.
With the starters on the bench to start the second quarter, backup quarterback Cam Galloway kept Lamar’s offense ticking, connecting with Tijuan Burroughs for a five-yard touchdown reception, his first of two on the game. Burroughs added a 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
HTK finally got itself on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, but Lamar answered that touchdown with another, its last of the game.
The win, which improved Lamar to 11-0 overall, also advances the Silver Foxes to the third round of the playoffs.
Unfortunately, due to predetermined brackets based on region winners, Lamar is going on the road this week to take on Williston-Elko with the winner advancing to the upper state championship.
County Recap
The Hartsville Red Foxes stayed alive in the 4A playoffs defeating Cane Bay 35-7. The Red Foxes take on Lower Richland this Friday at home with the winner moving on to the lower state championship.
