“They're getting winded, get on the ball”, could be heard coming from the offensive coaches for Orange Park. The coaches were referring to the Lee Generals' defensive group, especially the defensive line. However, it took almost four quarters to finally wear the Generals out.
The game got off to a fast start when the Generals (2-2, 1-0) came out firing on the first play from scrimmage. Jr. QB Brandon Sirmans hit Jr. RB Tiray Dove on a 24-yard pass. Unfortunately for the Generals, Raiders and the fans, the next excitement to be seen on the field came at halftime. The game basically became a defensive battle and a field position chess match until late in the third quarter.
The Raiders' defensive line was anchored by So. LB Demetre Baker who had two sacks four quarterback pressures and four tackles for loss. Along with Cody Eaton, Ibrahim Issa and John Doria, Baker and the rest of the defense shut down the passing game for the Generals before it could get started. Lee QB Sirmans finished the night 1 of 11 for 24 yards and 1 int. The constant pressure that Sirmans faced all evening long, forced him at times to run. He finished the night with -33 yards on 7 carries.
The one bright spot for the Generals on offense was Dove. He finished the night with 88 yards on 11 carries. Time and time again, Dove would move the pile forward with extremely hard running.
The defensive battle would break down late in the third quarter. The Raiders (1-4, 0-0) started a drive with 8:30 left in the third period. The momentum turned for the offense when Jr. WR Kirhy Smith took a reverse from QB Fasnacht and ran for 21 yards. That was followed by a 14-yard run by So. RB C.J Stallworth. The drive would end when Lee LB Jeremy Cheeseborough would have an interception bounce off his hands and into Raiders Sr. WR Deron Talley in the end zone. The scoring drive lasted over 5 minutes and the Raiders converted on fourth down twice.
Following seven offensive plays for the Generals, they returned the ball to a Raider offense that was hungry for more points. With 27 yards on the ground and 12 yards through the air, the Raiders got a break. On a fourth and 11, the Generals were flagged for pass interference. The ball was placed on the Generals' 16-yard line. Four plays later Stallworth would score from 6 yards out.
On the next kick off, the Raiders would kick the ball out of bounds. Instead of taking the ball at the 40-yard line, Lee had the referees mark off the penalty and have the Raiders kick again. It was a gamble that would pay off. Following a short kick and a 20-yard return by Jr. DB Patrick Levy, the Generals were in Raider territory for the first time in the second half. With only 2:27 left in the game, Jr. RB James Perkins scored on a 2-yard run.
Successfully recovering an onside kick, the Generals offense would start at the Raiders 35-yard line. The offense depended on its running game to tie the game. Dove carried the ball twice on the drive for 19 yards. The one thing that failed the Generals all evening was its passing game. With 1:18 left in the game and the ball on the 10-yard line, Lee decided to run a play action pass. The pass was under thrown and Sr. DB Ricky Wright came up with the only turnover of the game. The Raiders would kneel out the clock for their first victory of the season.
Defensively the Raiders only surrendered 7 points and 145 yards of total offense to get on track before the district games begin. Next week, the Raiders host Buchholz.
Lee-- 0 0 0 7-----7
OP-- 0 0 7 7-----14
OP Talley(3) 6 yrd td reception; PAT Wiggins(83)
OP Stallworth(14) 6 yrd run; PAT Wiggins(83)
Lee Perkins(2) 7 yrd run; PAT Barnica(32)
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