Post by lionsroar on Jun 16, 2008 5:05:18 GMT -5
Lions hold on for win, clinch playoff berth
BY CHRISTA TURNER --
The Huntington Heroes discovered a surprising penalty to scoring touchdowns -- having to kick off to Columbus.
The Lions' Anthony Merritt and Tirone Morris each scored on kickoff returns, while Morris set up another first-half score with a long return.
The Lions took a big halftime lead and needed every point to hold off a furious Huntington rally. The Lions finally ran out the clock on a 57-54 win over Huntington Sunday afternoon at the Columbus Civic Center.
Merritt set the tone when he took the opening kickoff from 6 yards deep in the end zone, hit a gap up the middle, then cut to the right side. He stiff-armed Heroes kicker Jason Cherry and out-raced the defenders to the end zone. Morris added a 41-yard return to set up his receiving score, then returned a kickoff for a touchdown, prompting the Heroes to kick the ball into the stands.
"After Tirone Morris returned his, I said, 'We can just look pretty because we're not going to get any more kickoffs,' " Merritt said. "Coach had been riding me all year. We didn't have a kickoff return. I'd been close."
Morris said he responded to Merritt's challenge.
"He just said, 'Your turn.' He was ragging on me," Morris said.
The Lions (9-4) clinched a playoff spot with their win, combined with Augusta's 56-20 loss to Florence. Huntington (6-7) still has a tenuous grip on a playoff berth, leading Carolina and Fayetteville by half a game.
Columbus scored on a Silas Daniels reception just before the half to take a 37-13 lead. The Lions defense brought immense pressure on Huntington quarterback Darnell Kennedy throughout the half, harrassing him into two Damian Daniels interceptions.
"We just wanted to do our part to help the offense," defender Rickie Lewis said. "We've got to build on that."
Conrad threw for four touchdowns for Columbus, while Merritt, Morris and Daniels accounted for three touchdowns each.
But Kennedy and the Heroes refused to fade away. Kennedy guided the Heroes second-half comeback attempt by tossing six touchdowns as the Heroes fell just short despite putting up 41 points in the half. Columbus aided the comeback attempt with a Merritt fumble, a Conrad interception and turning the ball over on downs.
"We slacked off and didn't come back out with the same intensity," Merritt said.
News that the Lions had clinched a playoff spot likely led to the letdown, coach Jason Gibson said.
"Big time," he said. "It was just making mistakes. But we'll play this week, have a bye week, then get ready to go to Mississippi."
The Heroes cut the lead to three with 43 seconds remaining following a 35-yard touchdown pass from Kennedy to Troy Perry, but the Lions got a first down and then killed the clock for the win.
The teams swapped quick strikes to open the game with Columbus going up on Merritt's kickoff return, but the Heroes answered quickly on a 30-yard scoring pass from Kennedy to Octatvious Day.
The Lions roared right back when Morris returned the kickoff 41 yards to set up a 15-yard scoring pass from Conrad to Morris.
The Lions pulled away with three touchdowns in the second quarter while the defense held Huntington to a mere field goal. Merritt hauled in a 17-yard scoring pass from Conrad, while Morris returned the kickoff for a score.
www.ledger-enquirer.com/sports/story/348429.html
BY CHRISTA TURNER --
The Huntington Heroes discovered a surprising penalty to scoring touchdowns -- having to kick off to Columbus.
The Lions' Anthony Merritt and Tirone Morris each scored on kickoff returns, while Morris set up another first-half score with a long return.
The Lions took a big halftime lead and needed every point to hold off a furious Huntington rally. The Lions finally ran out the clock on a 57-54 win over Huntington Sunday afternoon at the Columbus Civic Center.
Merritt set the tone when he took the opening kickoff from 6 yards deep in the end zone, hit a gap up the middle, then cut to the right side. He stiff-armed Heroes kicker Jason Cherry and out-raced the defenders to the end zone. Morris added a 41-yard return to set up his receiving score, then returned a kickoff for a touchdown, prompting the Heroes to kick the ball into the stands.
"After Tirone Morris returned his, I said, 'We can just look pretty because we're not going to get any more kickoffs,' " Merritt said. "Coach had been riding me all year. We didn't have a kickoff return. I'd been close."
Morris said he responded to Merritt's challenge.
"He just said, 'Your turn.' He was ragging on me," Morris said.
The Lions (9-4) clinched a playoff spot with their win, combined with Augusta's 56-20 loss to Florence. Huntington (6-7) still has a tenuous grip on a playoff berth, leading Carolina and Fayetteville by half a game.
Columbus scored on a Silas Daniels reception just before the half to take a 37-13 lead. The Lions defense brought immense pressure on Huntington quarterback Darnell Kennedy throughout the half, harrassing him into two Damian Daniels interceptions.
"We just wanted to do our part to help the offense," defender Rickie Lewis said. "We've got to build on that."
Conrad threw for four touchdowns for Columbus, while Merritt, Morris and Daniels accounted for three touchdowns each.
But Kennedy and the Heroes refused to fade away. Kennedy guided the Heroes second-half comeback attempt by tossing six touchdowns as the Heroes fell just short despite putting up 41 points in the half. Columbus aided the comeback attempt with a Merritt fumble, a Conrad interception and turning the ball over on downs.
"We slacked off and didn't come back out with the same intensity," Merritt said.
News that the Lions had clinched a playoff spot likely led to the letdown, coach Jason Gibson said.
"Big time," he said. "It was just making mistakes. But we'll play this week, have a bye week, then get ready to go to Mississippi."
The Heroes cut the lead to three with 43 seconds remaining following a 35-yard touchdown pass from Kennedy to Troy Perry, but the Lions got a first down and then killed the clock for the win.
The teams swapped quick strikes to open the game with Columbus going up on Merritt's kickoff return, but the Heroes answered quickly on a 30-yard scoring pass from Kennedy to Octatvious Day.
The Lions roared right back when Morris returned the kickoff 41 yards to set up a 15-yard scoring pass from Conrad to Morris.
The Lions pulled away with three touchdowns in the second quarter while the defense held Huntington to a mere field goal. Merritt hauled in a 17-yard scoring pass from Conrad, while Morris returned the kickoff for a score.
www.ledger-enquirer.com/sports/story/348429.html