LAKE CITY – Cameron Sapp waited nine long weeks but he finally got his revenge and so did his teammates but it wasn’t easy.
Lee jumped out to a surprising 24 point lead over host Columbia early in third quarter yet held on for dear life before a late defensive stand allowed them to escape with a 31-27 win over Columbia Friday night in the Jungle.
Sapp, who turned an ankle the week before in a Sept. 1 win over Westside, admitted he wasn’t 100% in the regular season meeting a 42-37 loss back on Sept 14 also in Lake City. The Tigers found out the hard way what a 100% Sapp was like.
For a half, Columbia had no answer for containing Sapp, as Sapp accounted for 100 rushing and 121 passing and two touchdowns in the first half alone and finished 11 of 29 for 173 yards with two touchdowns on the night, while also rushing for 63 yards on 13 carries.
Columbia has no offense without Jordan Smith and they can’t stop quarterback Cameron Sapp, 100 rushing and 121 passing at half.
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 17, 2018
“I hurt my ankle in the Westside game going in for the fourth touchdown and didn’t play 100% for 2-3 games especially against Columbia,” Sapp said. “We were also missing a couple key players,, like a lineman and a wide receiver; but I’m just glad to be back 200%. I think we definitely caught them off guard since I wasn’t able to do much in that first game. We saw on film if you spread them out they leave the middle wide open and we knew we could take advantage of it by just scrambling and making plays.”
Just like last week where it took all of 23 seconds to establish the momentum, Lee did it again.
Sapp surprised the Tiger defense by streaking up the middle 39 yards on a designed keeper on the first play from scrimmage to put the Generals down to the 35 yard line. Sapp then hit a wide open Cobie Bates (2 catches for 51 yards) on a slant play for a 30 yard completion down to the 5 yard line.
However, the Tigers defense held them in check on four straight plays to make a goa line stand as Taz Nicholson was stopped short of the goal line on fourth and goal from the 4 yard line to keep the Generals out of the end zone.
It was just a sign of things to come out as they couldn’t keep them out all night at least for a half.
Midway through the first quarter after trading three and outs, the Tigers struck first as junior quarterback Jordan Smith found TJ Jones along the Lee sideline and Jones broke a tackle off a General defender and walked the final 30 yards in the end zone for a 62 yard touchdown completion giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 6:11 left in the first quarter.
Lee answered with a 51 yard, 11 play drive capped by a dazzling 17 yard touchdown run from Taz Nicholson tying the game at 7-7 with 1:54 left in the first. Sapp hit Jurial Caldwell (6 catches for 65 yards) twice on the drive to move the chains for 12 and 10 yard gains to put them in the red zone.
Taz Nicholson literally rumbles 17 yards for a score ties it at 7-7 with 1:54 left in first. @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/WkG7jq6E6Y
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 17, 2018
Columbia had all kinds of trouble fielding kickoffs bobbling four in a row in the first half including the ensuing kickoff which backed them up to the 20 yard line on the next possession. It didn’t matter as the Generals forced another three and out after Ralph Mency and Christopher Telusma paired up to sack Smith on third and long.
Cam Sapp was huge for Lee pic.twitter.com/DciIDciE2n
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 17, 2018
As the second quarter started, Lee made their move as Sapp did his Cam Newton impersonation taking off on keepers including a 31 yard run on a fourth and 3 play to put them inside the 11 yard line. After a 9 yard run, which put them at the 1 yard line, Sapp capped the drive with a 1 yard sneak to give Lee a 14-7 lead with 9:22 left till half.
After another three and out on defense, Lee struck again after taking over at midfield with eight minutes left till half. Sapp pitched to Kevonte Doles for a first down and then kept it on a keeper to put the Generals inside the 25 yard line. Two plays later, Sapp found Terry McKinney in the back of the end zone for a 25 yard strike on a fourth and 8 play to increase the Lee lead to 21-7 with 3:21 left in the half.
With Columbia unable to move the ball, the Tigers brought in back up Ty Wehinger, who played the majority of the game when Smith went out with a concussion in the prior meeting with Lee, but he too was unable to move the ball as the Generals forced another three and out thanks to another Sack by Mency.
“We worked really hard this week knowing what we had to do on defense, we saw on film they had certain tendencies on formations and our defensive backs just had to lock them up and we did,” Lee senior linebacker Trevor James said.
James added about his relationship with teammate Ralph Mency, who terrorized the Columbia offense all night with four sacks and a pick six.
“That’s my dog, we go back to (Landmark) middle school, he’s a beast and between the two we weren’t going to let those guys beat us,” James added.
“We study a lot of film, on Monday that’s all we do and we knew we had to shut down their run game and we had to change some things like coverages as last time they just bombed us,” Mency added.
Nicholson returned the ensuing punt 26 yards down to the 34 yard line to set up the Generals with great field position once again just before half. Sapp found Nicholson for a gain of 11 and Doles for a 12 yard gain to move the chains inside the 15 yard line.
Orelus Clivenson converted a 23 yard field goal to extend the Lee lead to 24-7 with 18.7 seconds left in the half to send the Generals into the half with a 17 point halftime lead.
As bad as Columbia had played they were lucky they were only down 17 at the half thanks to a lethargic offense and multiple costly mistakes and turnovers.
Things only got worse seconds into the second half.
On the second play of the third quarter, Smith came back into the game and threw it right to Mency, who returned the interception 11 yards for a 31-7 lead for the Generals seconds into the third quarter.
“I knew when the running back gets up they throw across it the middle and I just read it,” Mency said. “I knew instantly I was going to score, as I knew I was close to scoring when I caught it.”
Lee turned up the defense again as Jahkari Smothers and Telusma smothered the Tigers back-to-back plays but the Tigers were able to keep the drive going as Kylen Callum picked up the first down with a 6 yard run near midfield. Smith hit Bell for a 15 yard completion before leaving the game for good after the play.
With Smith out, Columbia coach Brian Allen brought in freshman Kade Jackson into the game to establish some sort of rhythm on offense for the Tigers and Jackson was welcomed by Mency with back-to-back sacks to turn the ball back over to the Generals.
Ralph Mency b2b sacks
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 17, 2018
Ralph Mency maybe the best defensive player in the area always making plays for Generals pic.twitter.com/LLNfeu1qAj
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 17, 2018
“Having to play on the road definitely motivated us, but were always favored to lose though, we don’t care what people say,” Mency said. Cam hurt his ankle last time that’s my quarterback, he doesn’t see a better defense than the one he sees at practice everyday.”
However, the second half was a different story as the Tigers defense made the necessary adjustments at half and put pressure on Sapp quickly forcing a three and out on the Generals first drive of the third quarter to give the Tigers the ball back.
Jackson came back into the game and ran the offense fluently hitting Bell (6 catches for 57 yards) for a 22 yard completion, Jones for a 16 yard completion to put the Tigers inside the 4 yard line. Two plays later, Callum rumbled 4 yards cutting the lead to 31-14 with 2:49 left in the third.
After not being able to touch him in the first half, the Tigers defense lived in the backfield the second half and forced another three out sacking Sapp for a nine yard loss on second down to force another punt.
However, the Generals defense stepped up putting pressure on Jackson forcing another quick three and out on the Tigers ensuing drive as the game headed into the fourth quarter.
Taking over from their own 31 yard line, Sapp scrambled to his left and picked up two yards on the first play of the drive, but play was stopped as cornerback Michael Scippio laid down on the field motionless after getting tangled up with a lineman on the play.
Both teams huddled up on sideline as player is being attended to. pic.twitter.com/bVXXk1m4VD
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 17, 2018
Scene here at the Jungle it’s got really quiet here at start of fourth Columbia Player has been down for a while. pic.twitter.com/F1iuOkdTk0
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 17, 2018
Scippio laid on the ground as the trainers carefully tended to him causing a lengthy delay in the game, Scippio was eventually put on a stretcher and transported by ambulance to the local hospital but not before giving the crowd a thumbs up.
After warming up after the long delay, Lee came back on offense and went three out again after Marlon Brown was hit by linebacker Ethan Umstead for a two yard loss on third down. Lee elected to go for it on fourth and 9 from the 30 yard line but Sapp pass fell incomplete to turn the ball over on downs.
After seeing their teammate seriously injured, the injury as expected seemed to fire them up as the Tigers woke up offensively. Jackson found Jones (3 catches for 101 yards, 3 touchdowns) for a 29 yard touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone on the ensuing drive to cut the lead to 31-20 with 7:57 left in the game.
Another three and out and pressure on punter Clivenson, forced Clivenson to perhaps panic fumbling the snap giving the Tigers the ball inside the 10 yard line.
Jackson (10 of 18 for 102 yards with two touchdowns) hit Jones on the first play following the turnover for a 10 yard strike in the left corner of the end zone to cut the lead to 31-27 with 6:59 left in the game.
A 24 point lead was down to four with seven minutes left in the game as Columbia had turned up the defense and Lee had no answer on offense.
Nicholson fielded the ensuing kickoff from his own 15 and returned it to the other side of the field and 44 yard line to put the Generals in great field position. Sapp calmly returned to the huddle and directed the Generals offense down the field putting them finally back in the red zone as Sapp hit Caldwell for a 29 yard gain on third and 5 to move the chains down to the 10 yard line.
Lee had to settle for a field goal and Clivenson hooked the 30 yard field goal wide left apparently giving the Tigers a chance to win it with 4:05 left in the game.
Jackson tried to hit Bell on a sideline out play but Bell knocked the ball away from the corner to prevent an interception on second down. Callum rumbled for 4 yards to pick up the first down to set the Tigers up with first and ten from their own 31 yard line.
This is where things got interesting as the officials screwed up the downs and it proved to be costly mistake.
Jaelin Brown picked up 7 yards on first down, Jackson was hit and nearly fumbled the ball away on second down but officials ruled incomplete pass, bringing up third and three for the Tigers.
However, after the incomplete pass the down marker was inadvertly moved to fourth down and no one caught it. Despite Allen arguing with the officials about the mistake, they didn’t change it forcing a fourth and 3 play with less than 3 minutes remaining.
Callum was stopped well short of the first down, instead of setting up which should have been fourth and one for the Tigers, officials awarded the ball to the Generals much to the dismay of the Tigers coaching staff.
With 2:30 left in the game, the Tigers (10-2) still had a chance but Nicholson busted off a 20 yard run on third and short putting the Generals inside the 16 yard line and able to run out the clock and escape with a win.
Victory formation for Lee pic.twitter.com/odsfDrlkpz
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 17, 2018
Quite a difference in the rematch after Lee wasn’t able to touch either Columbia in the last meeting and it eventually cost them by not being able to put any pressure on them, yet consistently harassed them tonight.
“We miss 25 tackles last time, it was just a lack of execution on us last time,” Lee coach OJ Small said, “We put some new things in and we knew when they put the third quarterback in we knew they were going to have to go with a different game plan and credit to them they did.”
His players noted different reasons for the win.
“We wanted it more, we didn’t want to go home yet, we knew what they had to do coaches has us really prepared,” Sapp said.
“Cam really stepped it up for us, early on he wasn’t use to our offense and then he hurt his ankle, we’re whole different team with him healthy,” James said.
Small wasn’t aware they would be home next week, not learning until they were packing the bus up afterwards and coaches and myself told him. Needless to say he was thrilled to not have to go on the road again and finally be home again.
“It feels really good to be going back home, its about time,” Sapp added. “We weren’t really worried about playing on the road, we just had to prove it ourselves on the field. ”
After back-to-back wins on the road, Lee (10-1) returns home to the Backyard Friday night to host Edgewater, a 35-14 winner over Lincoln, in the Elite 8 for the second time in three years.
Lee is moving on to third round pic.twitter.com/SDjcvwDEf6
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) November 17, 2018
