LFO withstands Coahulla Creek’s 4th-quarter scoring to down Colts

Published 10:45 pm Friday, October 4, 2024

VARNELL — After coming into Friday night’s game against Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe with two touchdowns on the season, the Coahulla Creek Colts scored a pair of TDs within the first minute of the fourth quarter.

The two scores trimmed a deficit to 27-13, but LFO didn’t let the Colts in again, added another touchdown and secured a win.

Coahulla Creek (0-6, 0-4 Region 7-2A) fell 34-13 to LFO (2-4, 1-3 Region 7-2A) Friday night.

After trailing 27-0 to start the fourth quarter, the two quick touchdowns and a quick stop of LFO gave the Colts back the ball and the belief that a comeback may be possible. On an early fourth-quarter drive that the Colts hoped would end with the deficit being trimmed to one score, the Warriors held Creek one yard shy on fourth down, took over, and scored the sealing touchdown.

After the first quarter ended without a score, LFO broke the stalemate with a 30-yard rushing touchdown by Tamoris Johnson with 9:55 in the second. Tra Lewis made it 14-0 with 2:38 before half, sprinting down the sideline and dodging a defender at the 5 to score on a 19-yard rush.

Lewis then made it 21-0 with just 37.8 seconds before halftime, taking a screen pass, freezing a host of Colt defenders with a cut and sprinting 53 yards for a TD.

The score was 27-0 after a Joseph Brown rushing touchdown with 8:28 left in the third.

Coahulla Creek nearly broke the scoring seal late in the third when Tyler Douglas rolled over a defender, never touched the ground and kept going toward the end zone, but an LFO defender chased Douglas down and punched the ball out just before he could get into the end zone. The ball went out of the end zone for a touchback.

But, after another long Douglas run late in the third got Creek inside the 10, the Colts finally got on the board on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Waelyn Baliles hit Brody Howell out of the backfield for a 7-yard score to put the score at 27-7.

After the touchdown, Howell made another huge play, recovering an onside kick.

Baliles quickly hit a pass to Kobe King, then hit Andrew Russell down to the 7. Maddux Jackson powered down to the 1, and then Baliles pushed in for a score on a sneak.

With the score cut to 27-13, Creek got a stop and had the ball back with 8:44 left. Creek drove to the Warrior 37, but a fourth down completion was just a yard shy of converting.

LFO added another Brown touchdown run to put the Colts too far behind.

Baliles was 16-for-30 with 196 yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing score. King had 58 receiving yards and six tackles on defense. Douglas had 70 rushing yards.

Coahulla Creek travels to play Murray County next Friday at 7:30 p.m.