THURSDAY PREPS: Lanier drops Stanhope Elmore; Lee falls to Central-PC
By GRAHAM DUNN
There was good news and bad news for the Stanhope Elmore Mustangs on Thursday night.
The good: the Mustangs defense held Sidney Lanier running back Tacaris Bozeman well under his season average for rushing.
The bad: the Lanier passing attack more than made up for it.
Lanier used three quarterbacks to combine for 256 yards and three touchdowns in the air to earn a 41-17 victory in a key Class 6A, Region 2 game at Cramton Bowl.
The combination of Jacques Thompson, Braylon Jones and Cordez Arrington at quarterback offset an “off” night for Bozeman, who still finished with a game-high 82 yards and two touchdowns on the ground plus a 41-yard catch for a score in the first quarter. He also added a 52 yard return on a kickoff that set up another score for the Poets early in the second half.
The Mustangs offense moved the ball consistently, mostly on the passing attack of Jacob Bryant, who finished with 265 yards on 19 of 25 passes and a touchdown but he also threw an interception and two other passes ended with a turnover.
Bryant’s numbers in the second half were far less than his first half, finishing just 4-of-7 for just 12 yards as Lanier’s defense rallied.
Lanier had a 21-3 lead late in the first half before a long drive before the half allowed the Mustangs to cut the lead to 10 on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Bryant to Colton Walls on the final play from scrimmage in the half.
Lanier took the second half kickoff 42 yards with Bozeman finishing the drive on a 13-yard scamper to stretch Lanier’s lead back to 35-17. The Poets added another score following a Zariah Marks interception. Then Thompson hit Marks on a 31-yard pass for the final points of the night with 5:57 left in the third period.
Jamarcus Hamilton added a touchdown run of 11 yards while Jamarcus Howard added touchdown on a 40-yard reception for Lanier’s first points of the game.
Jackson Thomas had a 1-yard touchdowns run and Bryant added a 32-yard field goal for the Mustangs’ points.
Cory Haggler finished with five catches for 75 yards for the Poets. Tevin Landrum had five catches for 74 yards for the Mustangs.
With the win, Lanier (5-2, 3-1)clinches a spot in the playoffs with two region games remaining. The Poets face G.W. Carver next week and finish the regular season at Wetumpka on Oct. 21.A win in both games would guarantee no less than a No. 2 seed.
Stanhope Elmore fell to 1-6 and 1-3 in region play. The Mustangs play Pike Road next week.
Central-Phenix City 55, R.E. Lee 20
PHENIX CITY - The Red Devils kept the Generals winless on the season, piling up 426 yards in total offense.
Central led 28-0 at halftime and 41-0 before Lee was able to score its first points. Quarterback Bryson McGrew hit Jayln Jackson for 27 yards for the Generals’ first points with just over a minute left in the third quarter. McGrew scored the second touchdown on a 7-yard run with 8:40 left in the game.
Lee’s final points came in the last two minutes on a 5-yard pass from McGrew to Darryl Dees.
Lee (0-7, 0-5 Class 7A, Region 2) will look for its first win next week against Prattville on Thursday at Cramton Bowl. Central (6-2, 5-1) will face Auburn next week in a battle for first place in the region.