CATAWISSA – It was a battle of unbeatens Friday night. Only one team would come out with the win. Lewisburg took advantage of too many errors by Southern Columbia en route to a 28-21 win.
The Tigers (4-1) turned the ball over five times and were penalized ten times Friday night. The Green Dragons (5-0) took advantaged and scored two huge fourth-quarter touchdowns for the win.
Southern Columbia head coach Jim Roth said, “You can’t beat a team like that when you have five turnovers. We were not focused.” The game featured three touchdowns within a minute and a half in the fourth quarter.
In the first quarter both teams traded interceptions on back-to-back series and a holding penalty by Lewisburg nullified a 51-yard touchdown run.
The Tigers got the first score on a five-yard touchdown run by Thomas. With 11:00 minutes left in the first half Lewisburg tied it up at 7, Cam Cassels hit Robert Gaines for the 57-yard score.
The Tigers had another drive end with no points, a missed 36-yard field goal kept the game tied at 7 with 1:54 left in the half.
Lewisburg took advantage of a Tiger turnover in the third quarter. Cassels hit Ryan Lopes for the 14-yard touchdown pass to take the 14-7 lead.
The Tigers would answer right back on a nine play, 65 yard drive the ended with a Jake Morton three-yard touchdown run to tie the game up at 14.
The teams went into the fourth quarter tied at 14. The Green Dragons drove 85 yards on 15 plays, to take the 21-14 lead. Nathaniel Brown’s three-yard touchdown run capped off the drive with 5:38 remaining.
The drive took more than eight minutes off the clock.
The Tigers bounced right back on a 63-yard touchdown run by Tyrell Thomas to tie the game up at 21 with 4:04 left.
On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Lewisburg’s Merle Moscarello went 72-yards down the sideline, breaking tackles along the way for the score. They led 28-21.
Roth said, “I was really disappointed in our defense and the touchdown run. We didn’t tackle and didn’t wrap up.”
Lewisburg now has road wins at Mount Carmel and Southern Columbia in the same season.
The Lewisburg head coach commented, “I’m not sure when that happened before.”
