Lawrenceville Daily Record

Indians roll over OPH, 45-6, for first win



LAWRENCEVILLE –– Points came early and often for Lawrenceville High School’s football team Friday night and it led to the first win of the season for the Indians.

Lawrenceville scored twice in the first two minutes of the game and were never seriously threatened on their way to a 45-6 win over Oblong-Palestine-Hutsonville to notch their first victory of the season and bring a four-game losing streak to a halt.

“It was a good ball game for us,” LHS head coach Travis Reider said. “The kids played really well.”

In a battle of teams that were both looking for the first win, the Indians seized control early and never looked back.

Brenyn Winningham took the opening kickoff and returned it to the OPH 32-yard line, setting the Indians up in great shape to start the game. It didn’t take long for the Indians to cash in, as Ryan Schultz busted a 20-yard run on the first play from scrimmage, then Winningham scampered in for a 12-yard touchdown run and Lawrenceville had a 6-0 lead at the 10:32 mark of the opening period.

The good fortune continued for the Indians, as Reuben Blasingame recovered a fumble on OPH’s first play from scrimmage, giving LHS the ball at the 11-yard line. Again, the Indians struck quickly, as Winningham tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Kolby Stoops to give the Indians a 12-0 lead with 10:04 remaining in the first quarter.

A few minutes later, Winningham connected with Bryant Jenkins for a 57-yard touchdown pass to give the Indians an 18-0 lead with 5:53 to play.

OPH responded on its next possession, capping a long drive with a two-yard touchdown run from Gavin Postlewaite with 4.5 seconds left in the first period to make the score 18-6.

However, it was all Indians after that, as Lawrenceville tacked on 27 points in the second quarter to put the game out of reach.

Winningham threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Scott at the 11:16 mark, then Winningham scooped up an OPH fumble and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown with 10:55 left in the half to extend the margin to 31-6 after Stoops converted an extra point kick.

Just over two minutes later, Winningham – who was lined up at running back – took a pitch from backup quarterback Luke Hatfield and broke through the OPH defense for a 52-yard touchdown run and a 38-6 advantage after Stoops knocked home another extra point.

Hatfield then capped the scoring barrage with 2:25 left in the half on a one-yard run and Stoops again added the extra point to make the score 45-6 at halftime.

With the Indians’ reserves playing the entirety of the second half, neither team was able to find the end zone over the final two quarters, leaving the game at a 39-point margin.

Everything clicked for the Indians, as they totaled almost 400 yards of offense. Primarily a passing team throughout the season, Lawrenceville racked up 260 yards rushing in the game on 38 attempts. The Indians were also successful in the passing game, throwing for another 136 yards.

Winningham led LHS with 129 yards on 5-5 passing with three touchdowns, while also rushing for 71 yards and two touchdowns on four attempts and returning a fumble for another score. Bryant Jenkins caught four passes for 80 yards and a touchdown, Scott had a 42-yard touchdown for his only reception and Stoops caught an 11-yard touchdown pass and ran once for 15 yards. Hayden Frey led LHS on the ground with 89 yards on 11 carries, Schultz added 50 yards on six attempts, Hatfield ran for 22 yards and a touchdown and Braden Alex added 13 yards on the ground.

Tucker Pruitt led OPH with 64 yards rushing and three pass completions for 18 yards, while Nicki Roberts added 36 yards on the ground and Postlewaite ran for 18 yards and a touchdown.

Overall, Reider was pleased with his team’s performance, while he also complimented OPH on their performance, as they came into the game with just 15 players available to play.

“Our kids played hard and did a good job on both sides of the ball,” Reider said. “But, I tip my hat to OPH. Their kids played hard and gave everything they had.”

Lawrenceville (1-4) will play host to Newton Friday at 7 p.m. to close out the 2021 spring season.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.