VALDOSTA —
The Lowndes football team broke the Windsor Forest Knights’ resolve in the second half, and shut out the Savannah-based school 38-0, after a defense-oriented first half Friday night at Martin Stadium.
The Vikings’ offensive and defensive units recorded touchdowns in the second half, after the first half saw very few points and a slew of stalled drives from both teams.
Though the Knights dominated the time of possession throughout the game, holding the ball 10 minutes longer than the Vikings’ 13:05, the Lowndes squad was simply more effective with their touches. The Vikings averaged 5.2 yards per play, while Lowndes’ defense held the Knights to just 2.0 yards per play.
Lowndes kicked a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter to record the game’s first points, after a first quarter that saw only three first downs between the two teams. The Vikings headed to the locker room at halftime with a 3-0 lead.
“The defense played well, but we couldn’t get much going in the first half,” Vikings head coach Randy McPherson said. “Penalties hurt us. We took it to another level in the second half.”
The Knights opened the second half with a promising drive, in which their mobile quarterback, Tremayne Trawick, slung a 25-yard pass to receiver Mark James. But the Viking running backs started to break through and break off big runs after contact.
A 50-yard run by Lowndes running back Jordan Williams helped move the Vikings’ offense into the red zone, and a subsequent penalty against the Knights situated Lowndes just outside of the goal line early in the third quarter.
Williams’ wheels kept turning, as he ran into the end zone for a 5-yard score, giving the Vikings a 10-0 lead.
“I just followed the line until I broke free,” said Williams. “The line blocked as good as they’ve ever blocked tonight.”
The Vikings then scored on each of their remaining drives, and the defense also recorded a score during the deluge of points that came after Williams’ big run.
Williams scored another touchdown on the Vikings’ next possession, again on a 5-yard run, giving Lowndes a 17-0 lead.
Lowndes running back Nick Burgman had a 27-yard touchdown run. Then Lowndes defensive back Eric Hart picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown, extending the Vikings’ lead to 31-0.
Burgman punched in another touchdown from six yards out on the Vikings’ next possession, which was set up by a fumble recovery by the Vikings’ defense. That gave Lowndes a 38-0 lead.
While Lowndes was eventually able to take control of the game, both of Windsor Forest’s units looked sharp during the first half. But the stout Vikings defense regrouped against the Knights’ designed runs for their quarterback, and Trawick’s quarterback keepers quickly declined in effectiveness. The Knights’ senior quarterback suffered a hard hit late in the fourth quarter.
“You can’t take anything away from Windsor,” said McPherson. “They came in here and played hard.”
The Vikings move to 3-0 and the Knights fall to 0-3 on the season.
The Vikings will remain at home for next week’s 8 p.m. bout with Hardaway. The Windsor Forest Knights will look to regroup at home next week in a game against the Screven County Gamecocks.
Local Sports
Related Photos
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Lowndes High's Tevin Brown (37) finds some running room during the Vikings’ game against Windsor Forest at Martin Stadium Friday evening. Pat Gallagher | The Valdosta Daily Times
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Lowndes High quarterback Alex Stephenson (14) looks for a receiver Friday evening. Pat Gallagher | The Valdosta Daily Times
Discussion
Vikings shut out Knights, 38-0
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