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By Jed Blackwell
Sports Editor
Byrnes tailback Marcus Lattimore was disgusted with an incomplete pass attempt in the third quarter of last week’s game against Dorman.
“That killed me, man,” Lattimore said of his toss toward an open Corey Miller, which was batted down by Dorman’s Kendrick Smith. “I swear I didn’t see him. I thought for sure it was a touchdown.”
Fortunately for the Rebels, that’s just about the only mistake Lattimore made.
Lattimore carried the ball 33 times for 158 yards against the Cavaliers, scoring two first-half touchdowns and picking up a key first down on a fake punt in the third quarter. But it was the Rebels’ final drive that showed Lattimore’s impact. Taking over following a Dorman drive at the Cavaliers’ 34-yard line, Lattimore carried the ball on eight out of nine plays, picking up 31 total yards and running out the clock. Along the way, Lattimore converted a fourth-and-inches from a direct snap, effectively putting the game away.
“It was nothing but an adrenaline rush,” Lattimore said of the short-yardage play. “Everybody was going to get it. The offensive line got a great push, and Katodre Oglesby made the key block on that. I credit him.”
“That’s a great drive by our offense,” Byrnes head coach Chris Miller said. “Our defense had done a great job, and the offense turned around and kept us from having to go back on the field. Everybody in the stadium knew what was coming, and when you can do stuff like that, I feel like that’s the mark of a good football team.”
Byrnes’ defense played well all night, clamping down on Dorman’s rushing attack and forcing the Cavaliers to the air. Dorman managed just 10 total rushing yards on 26 attempts, and the Rebels came up with an astounding 20 tackles-for-loss on the night.
“Coming into the game we were concerned about establishing a running game against their front three, and that really hurt us tonight,” said Dorman head coach Dave Gutshall.
Meanwhile, the Rebels offense ran nearly 30 more plays than the Cavaliers, but Dorman’s defense was able to limit Byrnes to just three scores on the night.
“I thought our defense played with a lot of courage and a lot of heart,” Gutshall said.
After Parker Langford’s 44-yard field goal put Dorman on top 3-0 early in the first quarter, Byrnes answered with a pair of second-quarter scoring drives to take a 14-3 halftime lead. Lattimore capped both drives with scoring runs from direct snaps, a one-yard dive to put the Rebels up 7-3 and a three-yard burst to push the advantage to 14-3. With four seconds remaining in the third quarter, Kaleb Patterson converted a 23-yard field goal to give Byrnes a 17-3 lead.
Dorman got its best offensive production of the night on its next drive, as quarterback Johnny Foster found Charone Peake on a crossing pattern with a 63-yard touchdown pass to trim the deficit to 17-10.
That was as close as the Cavs could get. Dorman’s next drive stalled, and the Cavaliers’ final effort reached the Byrnes 34 before Dorman turned the ball over on downs, setting the stage for Lattimore’s work on the final drive.
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