1AA FB: Lakewood knocks out Rosewood

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 14, 2015 11:35 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

SALEMBURG -- Helmets high in the air, Rosewood's football team huddled together one last time and sang its traditonal "It's A Grand Old School."

Once the Eagles broke the huddle, tears flowed freely.

The best season in Robert Britt's tenure as head coach ended with a 34-14 loss to Lakewood in opening-round action of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-AA (large-school) football playoffs Friday evening.

"We came out with more intensity than the last time we played Lakewood," Britt said. "We put that first score (of the game) on the board. I thought we played probably our best half of it defense, kept it 7-7 (at halftime)."

The Carolina Conference foes combined for three touchdowns within a 41/2-minute span in the third quarter.

Lakewood, the No. 7 seed, got a 1-yard touchdown run from William Moore to cap its initial offensive series of the second half. Rosewood's Mike Woodard answered with a 90-yard kickoff return and Moore put the Leopards (9-3 overall) ahead with a 1-yard TD plunge.

The 10th-seeded Eagles received the kickoff and marched down to the Lakewood 10-yard line. Senior outside linebacker Ethan Blackwell sacked quarterback Cam Helt twice, and then botched snap led to a 14-yard loss.

"That was big," Britt said. "They're a very good football team offensively and defensively. When we got in passing downs against a defense as good as theirs, the could pin their ears back, come at you and be a little harder to block.

"We couldn't stop the penetration and they were able to get back there two times in a row and that hurt us."

Lakewood quarterback Zack Tanner directed an 8-play drive that ended with his 14-yard touchdown run.

Moments later, the Eagles fumbled and the Leopards took. Tanner orchestrated another possession that chewed five minutes off the clock and all but ended Rosewood's bid to advance in the postseason for the second straight year.

"The nail in the coffin, I thought," Britt said. "They capitalized on some of our mistakes. They made the plays when they needed to make the playoffs. They're a very good football team."

The Leopards owned a 419-250 edge in total offense. Carsell Bennett emerged as the top rusher with a team- and game-high 118 yards and one touchdown on just nine carries.

Tanner completed 11 passes for 151 yards.

Senior running back Mike Woodard, the area's leading rusher, compiled 95 yards on 16 carries. Helt rushed for 70 yards and scored the Eagles' lone offensive touchdown -- an 8-yard scamper. He threw for another 70 yards.

It was the final game for 13 seniors -- Almontaser, Woodard, Kenny Chandler, Dylan Melgar, Josh Jernigan, Ethan Chapin, Nick Phillips, Luke Teague, Gabe Boyette, Luca Floyd, Kaleb Taylor, Adam Henn and Micah Woodard.

"I thought we've had great senior leadership all year," Britt said. "They could have dropped their head after last week, but everybody came back on Monday and they were hungry to get better. Everyone of them believed that we could come in and win a ballgame.

"I'm just proud of the effort, proud of these young men, proud of how the seniors have led and even though we lost, we're going to take a lot from it."