Lions Roar by Mustangs, 46-0
Lovelady Heads into Postseason as Second Seed
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
LOVELADY – The Lovelady Lions made a statement on Friday night as they demolished the Overton Mustangs, 46-0. The win solidified the Lions second seed position as they head into the postseason and may have given pause to their upcoming opponents.
After a loss to the Tenaha Tigers to open District 11-2A DII play, the Lions have now rattled off five straight wins and head into the playoffs on a high note.
Last Friday’s game saw the Mustangs start the game with the ball. Starting at their own 32, the Mustangs opened on the ground as three consecutive carries from Shaun Garcia moved the ball near midfield.
A sack on Overton QB Derrick Ishee by Mikey Montemayor put the Mustangs in a third and long position, but a pass interference penalty against the Lions gave Overton new life.
A 12-yard run by Garcia put the Mustangs at the Lovelady 38 but that was when the Lions’ defense took over. Garcia was thrown for a five-yard loss and then Ishee threw incomplete. On third and 15, Montemayor and Carter Murray chased Ishee down for a sack and a loss of 10.
The sack forced Overton to punt and Lovelady took over at their own 17. A holding call pushed the Lions back to the seven but on the next play from scrimmage, Shaun Easterling broke through the line, delivered a strong stiff-arm at the 30 and galloped 93 yards for the first score of the contest.
Lovelady QB Slade Murray slipped into the end zone on the two-point conversion and with 5:39 left in the first quarter, the Lions led 8-0.
The Mustangs’ next possession also ended in a Lovelady score. Sawyer Robinson lost two yards for Overton on first down, but on second down, Ishee found TE Chris Henson for 24 yards to move the ball out to the 50.
On the next play, Garcia was slung down by Lovelady’s Conner Martinez for a seven yard loss. Ishee completed a pass to Garcia which gained back five of the yards he lost but then disaster struck. Ishee was being chased by a host of Lions and threw a desperation pass that settled into the arms of Lovelady’s Easterling.
Easterling used his blockers effectively as he navigated his way inside the 10-yard line. From there, Eric Anderson did the rest as he plowed his way into the end zone for six. Murray connected with Keivon Skinner on the try for two and with just over two minutes still left in the first quarter, the Lions now led 16-0.
Following the Lovelady TD, the two teams traded possessions and brought the first 12 minutes of action to a close.
As the second quarter got underway, Ishee connected with WR Jaqulyn Brown for a 67-yard gain down to the Lovelady 18-yard line. The Lions’ defense stiffened, however, and forced the Mustangs to turn the ball over on downs.
From their own 12, the Lions wasted little time in extending the lead. Easterling rambled 54 yards on first down to move into Overton territory. Following an incompletion, S. Murray kept the ball and picked up 11. Easterling added another 14 yards and then Skinner took it the rest of the way on a seven-yard jet sweep to make the score 22-0 with 6:19 left to play in the first half.
The Mustangs’ next possession ended with a punt but the Lions gave it right back to Overton with a fumble. Ishee returned the favor as he was picked off by Caleb Gilchrist who returned the ball 24 yards down to the Overton 21.
Once again, it didn’t take long for Lovelady to find the end zone. On first down from the 21, Easterling slipped a tackle at the line of scrimmage and worked his way across the goal line. S. Murray kept the ball on the try for two and extended the Lions’ lead to 30-0.
That’s the way the first half ended but as the second half cranked up, the Lions pushed their lead out to 38-0. Lovelady started the third quarter at their own 50 after an onside kick attempt by Overton didn’t work like they had hoped.
On the Lions’ third play of the second half, Easterling found a hole in the Overton defense and rambled 56 yards for his third TD of the game. DJ Hines added the two-point conversion.
Overton’s first possession of the third quarter began at their own 32. A holding call and a personal foul backed the Mustangs up to their own nine. Ishee’s next pass was picked off by Easterling at the 25 and Lovelady was back in business.
Anderson picked up eight yards on first down and then added another six to move the ball down to the Overton 11. Anderson got his third straight carry and got down to the six. Brenton Crawford picked up the final six yards of the drive and when Anderson added the two-point conversion, the Lions lead increased to 46-0.
The officials let the clock run after Crawford’s score and the game ended with the Lions closing out District 11-2A DII play with the 46-0 win over the Mustangs.
The Lions will now face the Evadale Rebels in the Bi-District Championship. The game will be held on Thursday, Nov. 12 at Cleveland High School in Cleveland, Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
