Tornadoes in must-win situation

Tornadoes in must-win situation

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The Philadelphia Tornadoes have a big road game set for this Friday night when they visit the Kemper County Wildcats at the East Mississippi Community College football field in Scooba.

The Tornadoes come in at 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the Region 5-2A standings following their 43-37 loss to Lake last Friday night. The Wildcats stand at 5-3 overall and 2-0 in the region.

Kemper County holds a 32-21 win over Lake. If the Tornadoes were to win by 12 points or more, they would be the region champions provided they close the season with a win over Newton High School. Otherwise, they would finish third or fourth in the region and would be on the road in the first week of the playoffs.

“I don’t know why but we came out flat during the first half of our game with Lake,” Coach David Frey said. “Kemper is pretty good. They beat Lake. If we win by 12, we will have the tie-breaker.

“It depends on which Philadelphia team shows up this week. If we play like we did the other night, it probably won’t end good. If we play like we are supposed to, we will be OK. We have to keep going.”

A blocked punt set up Philadelphia’s second possession of the game on the Lake 5-yard line. On the first play, Chancellor Greer ran it in for a touchdown. Adrian Luke kicked the extra point and the Tornadoes led 7-0 with 8:42 left in the first quarter.

Lake returned the ensuing kickoff to the Philadelphia 3-yard line. Quarterback Brady McGee would score four plays later on a 1-yard run. The extra point try failed and the Tornadoes led 7-6 with 7:03 left in the first quarter.

Frank Pazos Jr. kicked a field goal to give Lake a 9-7 lead with 11:50 left in the second quarter.

The Tornadoes took the ensuing kickoff on their 48-yard line and put together a 10-play drive. Greer scored on a 3-yard run with 9:11 remaining in the first half. Greer ran in for the 2-point conversion and Philadelphia led 15-9.

Lake came up with a big play. On first down, senior running back Cornelius Mayers ran 63 yards for a touchdown. Pazos kicked the extra point and Lake took a 16-15 lead with 8:55 left in the second quarter.

Lake held the Tornadoes to four downs. The snap was mishandled and the Hornets got the ball on the Philadelphia 49-yard line. A 19-yard pass completion put the Hornets on the Philadelphia 30-yard line. The Hornets drove down to the Philadelphia 3-yard line, and McGee carried it in for a touchdown. Pazos’ kick was good and the Lake led 23-15 with 4:03 left in the half.

Philadelphia took the kickoff and set up a 10-play, 51-yard scoring drive. Greer scored on a 3-yard run. Quarterback Marcus Beamon ran in the 2-point conversion and the score was tied at 23-23 during the intermission.

Lake scored early in the third quarter to go up 30-23. The Hornets recovered a fumble and scored again as Mayers ran 63 yards for a touchdown. The extra-point kick was blocked and Lake held a 36-23 lead with 6:43 left in the third quarter.

The Tornadoes took the ensuing kickoff and drove 50 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown. Beamon ran it in from two yards out. The kick was no good and the Tornadoes trailed 36-29 with 2:01 left in the third quarter.

Late in the final quarter, the Tornadoes ran out of downs and Lake took over on the Lake 43. The Hornets drove down to the Philadelphia 2-yard line in six plays with McGee carrying it in for the touchdown. The kick was good and Lake led 43-29 with 3:41 remaining.

The Tornadoes refused to give up. Starting on the Lake 45, Beamon ran 14 yards for a first down at the Lake 31. On the next down, Beamon connected with Andrew Carter on a 31-yard TD pass. Beamon then found Dee Burnside for the two-point conversion and the Tornadoes trailed 43-38 with 3:08 remaining.

Lake took the ball and held it until the final buzzer.

Beamon rushed 12 times for 88 yards. He completed 6-of-14 passes for 55 yards, giving him 143 total yards for the night. Greer rushed 24 times for 120 yards and three touchdowns.






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