Lowndes figured out how to limit the damage from Lovejoy receiver Preston Williams and prevailed 23-18 on Friday night at Twelve Oaks Stadium to advance to the third round of the Class AAAAAA playoffs.
The Vikings’ solution for Williams was to play keep-away, and while the big Wildcats receiver caught five passes for 153 yards, they prevented him from taking over the game as he did in Lovejoy’s first-round win over Marietta.
After a pair of first-half touchdowns, the Vikings added three field goals by Nick Hart and won a game that was statistically lopsided but turned close at the end.
The Vikings rolled up 358 yards —336 on the ground— and ran 60 offensive plays to Lovejoy’s 37.
Alex Brown led Lowndes’ rushing attack with 77 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Brandon Roberts added 71 yards on five carries, and Jerome Daniels had 68 yards on 12 carries.
Lovejoy quarterback Quintarius Neely was hurried much of the night and finished with 193 yards on seven completions.
When the Lowndes offense was on the field, it was eating up the clock when it wasn’t scoring points.
Lovejoy (10-2), which had been in the state championship game the past two years, never led but had a chance in the fourth quarter after Jeremiah Kirkland’s 3-yard touchdown run with 7:09 left.
The Wildcats stopped Lowndes and got the ball back in the final four minutes, but Eric Hart picked off Neely’s pass and the Vikings ran out the clock.
After stopping Lovejoy on the opening possession, Lowndes (9-3) scored first, driving 43 yards in 13 plays, capped by Brown’s 6-yard run around the left end.
Daniels’ 26-yard run at the 8:17 mark in the second quarter staked Lowndes to a 14-0 lead, and at that point the Vikings had outgained Lovejoy 127 yards to 4.
In a span of 41 seconds Lovejoy got back in the game. Neely connected with Williams for an 80-yard touchdown pass. Lowndes blocked the kick and the score was 14-6.
On the second snap of the ensuing possession, Lowndes runner Eric Hart fumbled and Lovejoy’s Brandon Williams picked up the ball and raced into the end zone from 27 yards out to make it 14-12.
Hart’s first field goal, from 40 yards out, gave the Vikings a 17-12 lead, which they took to halftime. Two more field goals by Hart, from 36 and 19 yards, pushed the score to 23-12 with 8:52 left in the game.
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