Lloyd Memorial advances in playoffs
Juggernauts upset and shut out Bearcats
VERONA, Ky-The
Walton-Verona Bearcats lit up the Lloyd Memorial
Juggernauts 42-14, in week
five of the 2011 KHSAA football campaign.
The Bearcats ran up more than 357 yards behind a huge
offensive line.
On Friday, Nov. 4, the rematch was on. While the Bearcats finished 8-2 for the season, the Juggernauts were 4-6. But that did not matter to the visiting team. The last time they played the LMHS defense was in a 3/5. On this night they changed to a 5/3 and it helped.
Neither team generated much offense in the first 24 minutes. There were 11 possessions and eight of them ended in three and outs. With about four and a half minutes left in the second quarter, Walton-Verona blocked a Lloyd punt and the Bearcats were in business from the 15 yard line.
On second down, the home team punched the ball into the end zone, but it was called back, because of a chop-block. The Bearcats tried to trick their guests with a fake field goal attempt that failed miserably.
In response, the Juggernauts went to the air and completed a few passes. They got a couple first downs and marched to the Bearcats 37. On third down, Lloyd went deep to get the ball into the end zone, but it was called back due to a holding call and the Juggernauts punted because the penalty also came with a loss of down.
The Bearcats put on a mean running campaign before the end of the half, but a 36 yard field goal attempt failed.
The second half was much of the same until Walton-Verona went to punt, with just over four minutes in left in the third quarter. That's when Lloyd's Dexter Smith jumped into action, about three feet into the air to block Peter Lussi's punt.
Smith would then take command of the
offense on a drive that would last 15 plays, 52 yards,
and took 5:47 off of the clock. The drive was capped
off when Smith scrambled out of the pocket to hit a
leaping Quentin Nunn for an 11 yard touchdown pass.
Later in the fourth quarter, after a Bearcats punt, Lloyd Memorial took over on its own 35 yard line. On the ground and through the air, Smith guided the team down the field. Three big plays were key to this drive. The first was Smith's pass over the middle to Mitchell Brooks for a 26 yard gain. On fourth down, Smith called his own number up the middle for a first down. Then, Smith finished the drive by tossing the ball to Brooks for a six yard touchdown pass, but the kick failed.
"There was no doubt, no doubt by anybody in this stadium who was going to win this game," said head coach Josh Stratton to his team after the game. "
The Juggernauts improved to 5-6 by shutting out the 8-3 team that had put up huge offensive numbers earlier in the season. Lloyd's head coach, Josh Stratton, explained the difference between the first game and the rematch was defense.
"We missed 31 tackles the last game. That was the difference, we tackled," said Stratton.
LM Smith, 11 yard pass to Brooks(Torres kick)
LM Smith, six yard pass to Nunn (kick failed)