The Laurel varsity football team bounced back from a season opening loss to 3A power Sussex Central with a 37-0 home win over Brandywine last Friday in the Battle for the Bone, the annual game between the two Bulldogs teams.
“That’s the point when you play somebody who is supposed to bigger and better than you,” Laurel head coach Joey Jones said of opening against the Golden Knights in the first game. “There’s always things to improve, we’d like to see more consistency (he said of last Friday’s game). A lot of guys are getting on the field.”
Laurel opened last Friday’s game with an onsides kick which was recovered by Laurel’s Khalid Burton on the Brandywine 33. Tate Walls had three carries for 33 yards including a 13-yard touchdown run. Walls added the extra point to make it 7-0 with 10:45 left in the opening quarter.
Laurel’s Tate Walls follows teammate Elijah Niblett on a run. Walls ran for three touchdowns, had two interception returns for touchdowns, and kicked four extra points and a field goal in the home win over Brandywine. Photo by Mike McClure
Brandywine’s offense was held to three plays and out and the Laurel offense started its next possession at the 41. A six-yard run by Elijah Niblett and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Brandywine set up first and 10 on the Brandywine 38. Brandywine’s Darien Griffin recorded a sack on fourth and seven from the 15 yard-line to turn the ball over on downs, but Laurel got the ball back on an interception by Shakai Parker at midfield.
Laurel quarterback Koby Shockley had a 13-yard run and Walls took a toss on second and five and ran 32 yards for a touchdown. Walls added the PAT to extend the lead to 14-0 (4:09).
Niblett recovered another onsides kick to give Laurel the ball on the Brandywine 38. Asante Lofland had two carries for 19 yards before Walls scored on a 23-yard touchdown run. Walls’ extra point made it 21-0 with 1:47 remaining in the opening quarter.
Brandywine opened the next series on the 25 and moved it to the 40 following a Laurel penalty. Laurel’s Kei’shaun Copes recorded a sack for four-yard loss and on second and 14 from the 36 Walls intercepted a pass and ran it back 39 yards for a touchdown. Another extra point by Walls gave Laurel a 28-0 advantage with 24 seconds to go.
The two teams exchanged possessions early in the second quarter. A Brandywine run and a Laurel face mask penalty moved the ball to the Laurel 38, but a snap over the quarterback’s head and a Brandywine penalty moved the ball back to the Brandywine 39. Brandywine quarterback Ian Cleghorn completed a 53-yard pass to Anthony Drummond to the Laurel two. One second and goal from the five the snap sailed over the quarterback’s head and the ball was recovered by Niblett.
Shockley completed a 12-yard pass to Burton on second and 11 from the 29 and Shockley found Niblett for a seven-yard gain on third and 14 from the 49. The two connected again on fourth and seven, but Niblett was stopped one yard short of a first down.
Another high snap resulted in a nine-yard loss for Brandywine. The next one, on second and 19, was recovered by Laurel’s Tristen Johnson. Laurel’s offense took over on the Brandywine 18 and Walls made a 35-yard field goal with no time left in the first half for a 31-0 Laurel lead.
The two teams traded possessions in the third quarter. Walls had another interception return for a touchdown, this time for 26 yards. The extra point was no good, but Laurel held a 37-0 lead with 18 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Laurel’s Kenyen Littleton had a late game interception and the offense took a knee to run out the clock. Jones said his team will face an offense similar to Brandywine’s, but at a higher speed, with a road contest against Caesar Rodney.
