The game’s final 10 minutes seemed almost as drawn out as the first three quarters combined, but likely the longest part of the evening for Lafayette High’s football team Friday night was the bus ride home.
The Rams erased a 12-7 halftime deficit by erupting for 20 points in the third quarter – a 27-6 run spanning across the second and third quarters – only to cough up three second-half turnovers, which provided the host Packers all they needed to pull off the wild come-from-behind 34-27 victory in a matchup of unbeaten teams.
No turnover proved more costly for Lafayette than with roughly 7:30 left in the fourth quarter and the Rams clinging to a 27-26 lead facing a third and long on their own two-yard line. Miscommunication on an exchange between quarterback Brendan McGinty and running back Jhalil Green led to a fumble that was recovered by Smithfield.
Kyon Croker scored his third touchdown of the game from three yards out on the Packers’ first play for what would be the eventual game-winning score.
“You can’t fumble the ball away, especially three times in the second half,” Rams coach Andy Linn said after the game. “And when you give it to them on the goal line with a one-point lead, well, you’re asking for trouble.”
Lafayette got two more offensive possessions in the final six minutes of regulation but failed to put together a game-tying scoring drive.
A 47-yard pass from McGinty to Brandon Villanueva-Pernell on their first of two possessions put Lafayette in scoring range, but a penalty and two incomplete passes forced a punt.
The Rams’ defense forced a three-and-out on Smithfield’s ensuing possession and the offense took over at the 47 following a short punt.
McGinty hooked up with Green for a 20-yard gain to put the Rams inside Packers’ territory once again, but after three-straight incompletions, McGinty’s dump screen to Green on fourth and 10 was stopped well short of the first with 1:28 left.
Smithfield needed three kneel-downs to secure the victory and improve to 4-0 (3-0 Bay Rivers) on the season while the loss was the first of the season for Lafayette.
“It was good for our guys to be in a battle like this,” Linn said. “Our first three games of the season we hadn’t been in one, but it’s good to have experienced a game like this that was basically all-out war for 48 minutes when you get to the back end of the season.”
It was a scary start to the game for the Packers, who saw their star quarterback, sophomore Jermaal Wells, have to be helped off the field midway through the first quarter with Smithfield ahead 6-0.
Matthew McClary came in and played well in Wells’ absence, but the Packers needed the biggest lift defensively as Lafayette came storming back after being held without an offensive touchdown in the first half.
Lafayette got on the board midway through the second quarter when a Smithfield punt sailed over the head of punter Tyrone Garland before Green pounced on the loose ball in the end zone.
The Rams’ second-half surge began right out of the gate.
On Lafayette’s third play from scrimmage out of the half, Green broke off a 51-yard touchdown run to put the Rams up 13-12 after Scheckel Wallace (12 carries 66 yards) and Connor Tsigaridas (6 carries 30 yards) got the ground game going with big gains.
After recovering an onsides kick attempt, Green scored his third touchdown of the game on a beautiful misdirection play on third-and-nine from 20 yards out, pushing Lafayette’s lead to 20-12 after Brady Rouse’s extra point.
On Smithfield’s next possession, a jarring hit following a completed pass by the Rams’ Corey Stevenson forced a fumble that teammate Peter Hurst recovered, giving Lafayette quality field position yet again.
After Wallace drove Rams’ offense downfield 20 yards on two carries, McGinty punched in the keeper from one yard out as Lafayette’s lead grew to 27-12.
That’s when Smithfield back Marquis Childress took over.
On the Packers’ ensuing drive, Childress broke loose down the left sideline for a 44-yard touchdown run to cut Smithfield’s deficit in half, 27-18.
The Packers then held Lafayette to a three-and-out on defense which set up more Childress heroics.
With Smithfield on its own 27 facing a key third down, Childress took the pitch to the right side all the way to right sideline, maintained his balance after nearly being pushed out of bounds, reversed all the way back to the left side, slipped two more defenders before finishing off the improbable 73-yard touchdown to bring the Packers within one, 27-26, early in the fourth quarter.
Lafayette had a chance to put the game away with a decent drive that ate three or four minutes off the clock, but fumbled inside their own five which set up Croker’s game-winning touchdown run.
“That’s a good team, and good teams always make you pay for mistakes,” Linn said.
Smithfield 34 Lafayette 27
Smithfield- 6 6 6 16 – 34
Lafayette- 0 7 20 0 – 27
First Quarter
Smith- Croker 3-yard run (kick blocked)
Second Quarter
Laf- Green punt recovery (Rousekick)
Smith- Croker1-yard run (2PT failed)
Third Quarter
Laf- Green 51-yard run(2PT failed)
Laf- Green 20-yardrun (Rouse kick)
Laf-McGinty1-yard run (Rouse kick)
Smith- Childress 44-yard run (2PT failed)
Fourth Quarter
Smith- Childress 73-yard run (Childress run)
Smith- Croker 2-yard run (Childress run)
Smith;Laf
First Downs: 9;12
Rushes-yards: 33-195; 43-197
Passing yards: 112; 68
Comp-att-int: 3-9-0; 4-10-0
Penalties-yards: 7-50; 2-10
Fumbles-lost: 4-3; 3-3
