Lee County might have started slowly, but things came together after halftime as the Trojans pulled past Mary Persons in the opening game of the MetroPCS Corky Kell Classic at Five Star Stadium in Macon.
With 5:14 remaining in the third quarter, Alex Rivera hit a 43-yard field goal to give Mary Persons a 17-14 lead. But with four minutes remaining in the game, Lee County put together a game-winning eight-play, 92-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by senior running back Nikko Cruz.
With the score tied 14-14 at halftime, the Trojans aimed to wear down Mary Persons in the second half.
“We knew, offensively, that they couldn’t stop us,” Lee County receiver Tyquavious Terrell said. “We were just beating ourselves.”
The frustration surrounding the slow start prompted Terrell to have a halftime talk with his teammates, and it apparently worked.
“I just went and talked to the guys and told them that we have to execute,” Terrell said. “We had to get it corrected. We just have to come out strong every time. We have to get the little things.”
Terrell finished the game with 117 yards receiving and one touchdown.
Lee County head coach Dean Fabrizio said his team’s sluggish start had a lot to do with the play of Mary Persons.
“Mary Persons really came out and were ready to play,” Fabrizio said. “We were not ready to play to start, and they really outplayed us through a lot of the game. We were able to gut out and get a victory tonight. But we have a lot of things that we need to correct if we are going to get better and make it through our season.”
Lee County senior quarterback Jase Orndorff recognized the significance of a win in the event.
“It is spectacular,” Orndorff said. “It is awesome to play in the Corky Kell Classic as the first game in Georgia this year. We started off slow but we finished strong. That is the important thing. We just didn’t come together. After halftime, we clicked.”
Orndorff was 18-of-26 passing for 238 yards and one touchdown.
Lee County finished the game with 313 passing yards and 135 rushing yards for 448 total yards of offense. Trojans backup quarterback Kyle Toole completed his only attempt for 75 yards and a touchdown to Josh Asbury, who had 144 yards receiving.
Mary Persons managed just 139 total yards of offense on 84 yards passing and 55 yards rushing. Bulldogs quarterback J.T. Hartage passed for one touchdown to Deadrek Alford.
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