Lakewood prevails in OT thriller

Oct. 29—It was a serene evening for some gridiron action on the outskirts of Roseboro. The Lakewood Leopards were fighting for the Carolina 1A title against the Rosewood Eagles. The game was electric as both teams battled it out on the field, with the rivalry spirit at maximum as the players showed their passion. It ultimately took overtime to decide the winner, with the home team Leopards coming out victorious, 29-28.

The Eagles started off with possession after the opening kickoff and drove forward. They took a lot of time off the clock on their opening drive as they crawled upfield against a stingy Leopard defense with a series of run plays and short throws. They were just a hair away from the redzone before Lakewood stepped it up in a big way, making two big stops to end the Eagles advance. Their second and five turned into third and ten when Leopards blitz shut down the run with three players smothering the running back. Then on fourth and long, the Eagles' pass was overthrown after some pressure on the QB flushed him out of the pocket.

Lakewood struggled offensively on their first drive, running into a strong Eagle front. Shamell Little took a hard hit that ended his play for the evening, dealing with a nagging knee issue.

Rylan Godbold made a big throw after another run was stuffed by Rosewood. The ball sailed over to his intended receiver, and forcing their first of many punts that evening. The Eagles came back looking mean and they powered through the Leopard defense catching them off guard for the first score of the game. Their solid, methodical drive and ended with the PAT kick blocked to keep it at 6-0. Lakewood couldn't get anything started and the quarter ended, with them trailing by a score.

Lakewood's offensive woes continued and another drive was snuffed out, forcing a punt. Rosewood was able to get the ball rolling but Leopard Xavier Howard plowed through their line and landed a huge hit on the opposing quarterback. They shrugged off the play and followed it up with a big run for 20 yards and first down. They seemed to be in a groove but another huge run from Eagles called back for holding.

They responded with a pass that sailed out of bounds prompting what would have been fourth down but an unnecessary hit came from Lakewood near the line gave them the first down and prime position to score. They punched it in on the ground for six and converted the two pointer on a slant pass to make it 14-0 with seven left in the half.

The Leopards first play on their drive earned six yards on the legs of Nakai Owens while he carried a couple of Eagles on his back. Calvin Lacewell hit some tough sledding and gain minimal yardage on the next play. Heath Britt nabbed the first it off on the ground. Godbold sends a laser to Garrison Harter who juggled the ball but reined it in for 15 yards. The offense was cooking as Nakai Owens broke off another six, nabbing another first down. Godbold followed that up with a beautiful pass intended for Britt that fell to the ground but a pass interference call put Lakewood in a good spot to score.

Unfortunately, the Leopards stalled out after a pair of passes that sailed over their receivers and Rosewood shoring up their front with a huge stop on the ground. With fifteen yards to spare, they tried for a field goal that was smacked down by their opponents, shutting their drive down.

Rosewood had a player ejected for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties shortly after the block and they started off their own 15 yard line. The teams battled it out until time expired and Lakewood went to break with two score deficit at the half, 14-0.

The start of the third quarter began with a Lakewood possession. Right out the gate, the Leopards were met with heavy resistance and Rosewood made Godbold pay with two sacks in a row following a holding penalty. Lakewood punted the ball after the drive phased out.

Rosewood drove down the field with some power running, tearing up the Leopards defense. Lakewood would rectify the situation with a big hit that jumbled the ball free and they would recover it and take over with prime real estate. However, the excitement quickly faded as they continued to struggle, with another drive falling flat, taking another sack and forcing a punt. Rosewood was met with heavy resistance and the Leopards took them to fourth down and Owens flew in behind the line for a loss of two and regain possession.

The Leopards seemed off track with their two final plays on their drive falling out from under them, resulting in another punt as the quarter comes to a close.

The fourth quarter saw a rejuvenated Lakewood squad and their special team was having a field day with one of many long distance punts that put Rosewood deep in their own territory. The Eagles found themselves on the wrong side of an intense Leopard blitz that stunted their last two plays as Carmine Pope was terrorizing the Rosewood quarterback. He'd sack them and force a bad throw from the pressure that was almost snagged by Britt. The Eagles would punt and Lakewood set up shop on the Rosewood 40 yard line.

Owens was poised for a breakout run and made it happen. He danced through the gaps and forced a couple of missed tackles to eat up 30 yards for Lakewood's first score of the evening with a little under 10 minutes left in the game. They opted for the extra kick and nailed the field go to shrink the deficit to seven, with the score, 14-7.

Rosewood was given another unsportsmanlike penalty that was paid for before the kickoff and the Eagles tried to get some yards but were smothered by the Lakewood special teams.

Rosewood choked at the best time for Lakewood, on a punt attempt that soared over the Eagle's punter. He'd recovers the ball on their own five yard line and Lakewood took over, licking their chops at the free meal. It took only one play with Owens heeding the call. He stretched the run out to edge and scores. Lakewood's Miguel Espinoza made the clutch play and tied the game with the field goal.

Following the score, the Leopards attempted an onside kick that turned into a penalty for not going ten yards before they picked it up. Rosewood would carry the kickoff ten yards and set up shop on the 23 their own yard line. On their second play, the ball was popped free but Rosewood was able to recover it.

They turned it around and bled some time off the clock with three big runs that resulted in three first downs as they ate up yards, getting into the red zone of the Leopards. A flag was thrown that ended up against Lakewood giving the opposition for a personal foul, putting them a yard from the end zone. Lakewood stood tall and made a heroic goal line stand and managed to get made a big stop with under two minutes left in the game.

Kristofer Robinson made a huge stop after a strong hit on the running back that had been wreaking havoc on Lakewood.

Rosewood was slapped with another personal foul that knocked them back fifteen yards. The following play they went for it and threw a deep ball for the score but it was knocked down by Jaziah Brunson and the Leopards took over on their own 25 yard line. They bled the clock dry and took this heated game into overtime., with the score 14 all.

First two plays in OT saw a fired up Leopards defense that shut them down quickly, with two big stops with a swatted pass and strong rushing defense. Despite this, Rosewood took to the ground game again and punched it in for six. The Eagles converted for two Lakewood was in the hot seat at 22-14. It wasn't looking for the Leopards as they were pushed back following back to back plays for a loss. The Eagles shot themselves in the foot again with a roughing the passer penalty. The Leopards were able to score on the ground and they tied it up.

Another exchange of scores ensued but Rosewood was met with a ferocious Leopard front that stifled them on the last play. They failed to convert the extra point and Lakewood took home the victory against the Eagles, 29-28.

Reach Anthony McConnaughey at amcconnaughey@clintonnc.com or on Twitter @SportsSampson