Football: South County 10, Robert E. Lee 7

By Phil Murphy

Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area

**Click the links at the top-left for highlights and post-game interview with Anthony Carabali and Andre Simmons!

For the first time this season, South County won when held to less than 4.0 yards per carry.

And it has its top-ranked defense to thank for that.

The Stallions limited the Lancers to 2-for-9 passing in the second half for 20 yards and forced five turnovers in a 10-7 win Friday night in Franconia.

That includes an errant snap for Lee at the South County 9-yard line that Stallion sophomore Andrew Rector recovered.

The first down that preceded that red-zone fumble was the Lancers’ last.

“We don’t want to back into the playoffs or anything, but in our three losses we beat ourselves,” fourth-year Lee coach Rob Everett said. “And we had the opportunity against these guys.

“In Patriot District football, you can’t do that. You can’t.”

But, historically, the Lancers have against the Stallions.

In 2007, South County running back Titus Pennington scored a game-winning 32-yard touchdown run with :26 seconds left in a 33-26, Stallion win.

Then, last year, South County trailed Lee, 23-13, with :46 seconds remaining.

But a 26-yard touchdown run by running back Eric Dorsey, an onside-kick recovery by Wesley Brown and touchdown pass from then-junior quarterback Aaron Andrews to receiver Kevin Sakyi lifted the Stallions to an improbable, 27-23 win.

This time, the fourth-consecutive game in this series decided by a touchdown or less, there were no points for either team after the 10:14 mark in the second quarter.

South County coach Pete Bendorf credited the win to his defensive backfield, which yielded just 40 passing aside from Lee’s scoring drive.

“Defensively, we’ve been outstanding, but I think our secondary probably doesn’t get enough credit,” he said of the unit that lost touted junior Ronnie Vandyke in the preseason. “Brian Hall is an outstanding corner for us, Gabe Jackson has played extremely well.

“We’ve got the veteran back in there in Andre [Simmons] that keeps everybody in line. Andrew Rector is a sophomore, he’s been outstanding and has done some great things.”

Added Simmons, committed to Vanderbilt: “In the secondary, at first, they were catching a lot of passes. We had some interceptions, but we gave up too many yards.

“I talked to them at halftime and told them, ‘The D-line is doing their job, the linebackers are doing everything, it’s on us.’ We had to step it up and everybody stepped it up.”

For the third-straight game, Lee senior Idreis Augustus, the leading rusher in the region through five weeks, was hampered by a groin injury.

He carried just five times for 12 yards, with a long of seven. He had nine touchdowns of 63 yards or more before pulling the groin muscle in the third quarter of the 28-21 loss at Lake Braddock in Week 6.

His virtual absence was felt against South County, the top-ranked scoring defense in the Northern Region.

“It’s one of those injuries, where [you ask], ‘Are you ever going to be 100-percent?,'” Everett said. “He did a good job in practice. He’s a competitor, he’s a tough kid. The thing I most proud of him is that some kids think, ‘I’m worried about myself. I have my situation to take care of.’

“He really wants to be there and get things done.”

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

Box Score 1 2 3 4 — F

South County 3 7 0 0 — 10
Robert E. Lee 7 0 0 0 — 7

Scoring Plays

1Q — SC — Curtade 36 FG — 7:48
1Q — LE — Lewis 40 from Lopez (Atayee kick) — 2:57

2Q — SC — Iyebote 6 from Andrews (Curtade kick) — 10:14

Passing
SC – Andrews – 9-for-17, 102 yards, TD, INT.
LE – Lopez – 7-for-17, 112 yards, TD, 2 INT.

Rushing

SC – Jordan – 21
car, 75 yards; Simmons – 5 car, 27 yards; Andrews – 10 car, 6
yards.
LE – Lopez – 11 car, 59 yards; Ja. Williams
– 12 car, 51 yards;
Do. Taylor – 2 car, 33
yards; Augustus – 7 car, 12 yards; Team – 1 car, -10 yards.

Receiving

SC – Stein – 1
rec, 35 yards; Iyebote – 3 rec, 25 yards, TD; Meyers – 1 rec, 23 yards; Simmons – 2 rec, 14 yards; Jordan – 1 rec, 9 yards; Vane – 1 rec, 6 yards.
LE – M. Johnson – 2 rec, 47 yards; Lewis – 1 rec, 40 yards, TD; Jackson – 2 rec, 15 yards; Ja. Williams – 1
rec, 6 yards; Pitt – 1 rec, 4
yards.
Total Yards
SC – 210. LE – 257.
Time of Possession (First Half TOP)
SC – 25:53 (14:29). LE – 22:07 (9:31).
First Downs (Total; Run-Pass-Penalty)
SC – 11; 7-3-1. LE – 12; 8-4-0.