Lafayette senior Jahlil Green had planned on announcing his college decision at halftime of the Rams’ 3A East Region playoff opener against visiting Spotsylvania Friday night, but the star running back couldn’t wait that long to steal the show.
Green rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone as Lafayette’s football team jumped out to a 43-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 57-0 victory over the visiting Knights at Wanner Stadium.
During a halftime ceremony to recognize Lafayette’s senior fall athletes, Green, standing alongside his mothers, Rhonda Lassiter and Loretha Green, and brother, Jordan Lassiter, announced he would play locally for the College of William and Mary next year.
He then returned to the field for the second and found the end zone once more en route to finishing with 187 yards and four touchdowns before Lafayette’s second team took over during the fourth quarter.
Green was, as usual, the offensive catalyst, but the Rams were nothing short of dominant in every other facet of the game.
In addition to running for nearly 400 yards on the ground, the Rams’ offense also accumulated more first downs (22) than the number of total yards allowed by the defense (18). Equally as jarring is the -22 rushing yards Lafayette (11-0) allowed on 28 rushing attempts by the visiting Knights. Credit much of that to linebacker Darren Patton, who tortured opposing backs at the line of scrimmage all evening, although Schekel Wallace, Blake Guminsky and Tyler New also made their presences felt defensively.
Lafayette jumped out to a 22-0 lead after the opening quarter as Green (49 yards), Patton (33 yards) and Wallace (23 yards) exchanged long touchdown runs. Green finished the first quarter with six carries for 102 yards and would add two more scores in the second period as Lafayette grabbed a 43-0 halftime lead.
The second half was much of the same, only in shorter time as Lafayette’s plus 35-point margin forced a running clock.
Green capped off his big day with a 6-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to put the Rams’ ahead 50-0, and freshman Kyle Johnson finished things off with a 44-yard scamper for six with 1:51 left in regulation after the second team had taken over.
Spotsylvania completed four passes for 22 yards in the second half but never possessed the ball inside Lafayette territory.
Lafayette advances to face the winner of Park View (South Hill)-Warren County next Friday at Wanner Stadium.
Lafayette 57 Spotsylvania 0
Spotsylvania- 0 0 0 0 – 0
Lafayette- 22 21 7 7 – 57
First Quarter
Laf- Green 49 yard run (McGinty keeper)
Laf- Patton 33 yard run (Rouse kick)
Laf- Wallace 23 yard run (Rouse kick)
Second Quarter
Laf- Green 15 yard run (Rouse kick)
Laf- Green 11 yard run (Rouse kick)
Laf- Patton 26 yard fumble return (Rouse kick)
Third Quarter
Laf- Green 6 yard run (Rouse kick)
Fourth Quarter
Laf- Johnson 44 yard run (Rouse kick)
Totals
Spots; Laf
First downs: 4; 22
Rushes-yards: 28-(negative) 22; 38-382
Passing yards: 39; 23
Comp-att-Int: 5-21-1; 1-8-3
Penalties-yards: 1-5; 3-25
fumbles-lost: 4-2; 0-0
