Lamar sets the tone early, dominates Darlington
By Drake Horton, Contributing Writer
Lamar – While it may have been sweet dreams for the Lamar Silver Foxes, it was a complete nightmare for the Darlington Falcons this past Thursday in Lamar.
Scheduled originally for Friday, the game moved up to Thursday due to the threat of inclement weather and the change had no effect on Silver Foxes as Lamar completely demolished the Falcons 57-6.
“I thought we didn’t get off the bus,” Darlington head coach John Jones said. “First quarter we lagged, lagged, lagged, had four busted assignments on the first four plays offensively and the first four plays defensively. You can’t do those types of things, you can’t make those mistakes.”
The game was basically over right after it got started as the Silver Foxes jumped on the Falcons early and quick, building a 20-0 lead just 4 minutes and 18 seconds in as the rain fell and by the time the first quarter was over Lamar was leading 28-0.
“I thought our guys came out tonight ready to play,” Lamar head coach Corey Fountain said. “We’ve been practicing hard all week and it just seemed like they had an intensity about them, it’s a rivalry game. They stepped it up tonight, even in adverse conditions at the beginning of the game.”
Things calmed down in the second quarter to a degree as the rain quit and score slowed down, but the Silver Foxes still outscored the Falcons 8-6 and in the third quarter Lamar found its groove again scoring three more touchdowns. By the time the fourth quarter came around Lamar had emptied its entire bench.
Offensively for Lamar, Jacquez Lucas was a superstar. Opening up the game with 51-yard touchdown, Lucas added three more scores, a 21-yard touchdown that followed his first in the first quarter, an 18-yard touchdown reception in the second and a 66-yard touchdown run on just the second play in the third quarter.
Lucas was not the only Silver Fox to get his name in the scoring column. Jeblonski Green Jr. recovered a block punt in the end zone in the first quarter, Tyrik Herion had 53-yard touchdown run in the first and a 46-yard touchdown run as time expired in the third quarter and backup Cameron Galloway had a 22-yard touchdown run of his own in the third quarter.
But it was not just Lamar’s offense that was clicking; it was its defense as well. The Silver Foxes intercepted Darlington quarterback Silas Barr, who started in place of the injured Brian Robinson, three times and recovered a fumble that eventually led to a touchdown.
Darlington’s lone score came in the second quarter when Barr connected with wide receiver Jordan English down the sideline for a 66-yard touchdown.
The loss drops Darlington to 0-3 on the year while also being outscored by its opponents by a whopping margin of 145-39.
But despite the early season struggles for a team that is so young and battling so many injuries, including eight starters that missed the game against Lamar, Jones has a clear message for the future.
“We just have to trust the process and stay forward,” Jones said. “We have to get through the fact that we have some young guys that we got to teach some things to and they have got to learn to battle and learn to adjust when everything is not going their way and sometimes you just hit a speed bump here and there, but you have to adjust to it and find a way to come out and be ready to play.”
The path forward does not get any easier for the Falcons as they will now prepare to take on the Marlboro County Bulldogs for the first home game of the year. The game will take place on Thursday and CW-21 will televise the game in its new Thursday Night Lights series.
Lamar is back at home again to take on Eau Claire on Friday. The Silver Foxes are 3-0 on the year.
