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By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal
Halloween came early for Lowndes Academy, last Friday night.
What started as a competitive football game with the Rebels leading the Eagles of Sumter Academy 23-19 at the half, turned into a second half horror show with the Rebels going down to defeat 54-36 in their last shot at a regional win.
The loss drops the Rebels to 0-8 overall and 0-6 in Class A Region 1.
Sumter scored first at the 3:53 mark of the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead. But a 29-yard run by Cody Harrell and a 2-point conversion by Calvinar Thomas put the Rebels on top 8-7 with two minutes left in the quarter.
The Eagles would counter with about 28 seconds left in the first stanza to go up 13-8 on Lowndes Academy.
Once again Harrell answered the bell for the Rebels with a 4-yard touchdown run. Hen also tossed a 2-point conversion pass to Gray Johnson to put Lowndes Academy up 16-13 with nine minutes left in the second quarter.
Sumter would answer to take a 19-16 lead with 1:58 left in the half.
But the Rebels weren’t done just yet. Harrell connected with Thomas Ward on a 16-yard touchdown pass and added the point after kick to put the Rebels back on top 23-19 with about 37 seconds left to go in the second quarter.
The Rebels almost scored again on a long pass with time running out in the first half, but a penalty erased the play and the Rebels took the 23-19 lead to the locker room.
Unfortunately for Lowndes Academy the horror show began in the third quarter.
The Eagles returned the second half kick off back to the Rebels’ 1-yard line and punched the ball into to end zone. They added the extra point for good measure to take a 26-23 lead on the Rebels at the 11:37 mark of the third quarter.
With the help of an on sides kick recovery, Sumter wasted little time scoring again and adding the point after to take a 33-23 lead on the Rebels at the 9:22 mark of the third period. And with 4:04 left in the third quarter, the Eagles pushed the score to 40-23.
Sumter would stretch the lead to 47-23 at the 9:59 mark of the fourth quarter and the rout was on.
To Lowndes Academy’s credit, the Rebels never quit. Brandon Reid would score on a 9-yard run at the 8:31 mark of the fourth quarter to make it a 47-29 contest. The point after by Harrell was no good.
The Eagles added yet another score to make it 54-29 with 6:27 left in the game.
But Ward would score one last touchdown for Lowndes Academy on a 40-yard run, and Harrell would at the extra point to make the final 54-36.
Leading rushers for the Rebels were Ward with 186 yards, Harrell with 129 yards and Reid with 96 yards.
Calvinar Thomas led the Rebels with nine tackles, Johnson had eight, Brooks Martin and Ward had seven each.
The Rebels will host Macon-East this coming Friday in a non regional contest.
In other football action:
The Calhoun Tigers fell 51-6 on the road at Elba to go 0-8 overall and 0-6 in Class 2A Region 3 play.
Jemarcus Davison scored Calhoun’s lone touchdown on a 5-yard scramble. He had 244 yards rushing for the night and 100 yards passing.
Calhoun travels to play Central in a game of cross county rivals this coming Friday.
The Central High Lions fell to New Brockton on the road 44-14 to go 2-5 overall and 1-5 in Class 2A Region 3 play.
Details were not available.
The rivalry game between the Tigers and Lions this Friday will be a regional contest.