March 29, 2024

Tigers strike late to knock off Fremont-Mills

Lenox improves to 7-0 for first time since 2010

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TABOR — Lenox took control of the Eight-Man District 8 title race as Spencer Brown’s touchdown catch with 25 seconds left in the game lifted the seventh-ranked Tigers over fourth-ranked Fremont-Mills here Friday.

Lenox improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in district play with the win and avenged last year’s 24-22 home defeat to the Knights in the process. It is the first time Lenox has started a season 7-0 since 2010. Fremont-Mills dropped to 6-1 and 4-1.

At 6-8, 240 pounds, Brown presents a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. Yet somehow, the Tiger senior found himself wide open for the game-winning 8-yard touchdown toss from Carson Cline.

“We rolled Spencer out and I had the option to either run it or throw it up to him,” Cline said. “He was open. He was there one-on-one. You can’t beat a 6-8 kid one-on-one. I know from experience in practice!”

“We were just hoping the play action would draw in the corner,” Brown said. “I saw him crashing down and my eyes lit up. Carson saw me and I just had to make the play.”

Brown’s touchdown gave the Tigers a 40-34 lead, but the game still wasn’t over. Dawson Tullberg made a big play by booting the ensuing kickoff out of the end zone to keep Jaeger Powers and Parker Powers from having a chance to run the kick back.

After three straight Sam Phillips incompletions, Brown sacked Phillips, but was called for a face mask penalty, giving the Knights one final chance with just :04 left. But Phillips was injured on the play and freshman Mason Vanatta’s pass intended for Parker Powers was intercepted by Tullberg, who ripped it out of Powers’ hands in the air.

It was an especially sweet moment for Tullberg, who had a role reversal from last year’s 24-22 loss, when Powers took the ball out of his arms on the last play of the game.

“It’s unbelievable,” Tullberg said. “We’ve been wanting to do this for so long. We’re finally here, ready to contend.”

“It was a big statement for this group of kids saying we can play with the big boys,” Lenox head coach Allen Dukes said. “We really consider Fremont to be one of the big boys in the state, so it gives us a lot of confidence to go on from here.”

Defensive stand

Brown’s touchdown catch might have only been enough to tie the game if it hadn’t been for a key goal-line stand by the Tiger defense in the fourth quarter.

Fremont-Mills put together a 16-play, 64-yard drive that burned up the final 3:40 of the third quarter and almost 5 minutes of the fourth quarter.

Phillips ran the ball 13 times on the drive, but on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line, he fumbled the snap. Brown came out of the pile with the football, keeping the score tied 34-34.

“When they lost it there on the 1-yard line, that was huge for us,” Dukes said. “That was a big statement for our defense. Spencer came up with that fumble recovery and then we had to grind it out, get it down to field goal position, if necessary.”

Brown moved from his end spot to defensive tackle on the play in the goal-line formation.

“I normally don’t play there, but coach put me there because it was a short line,” Brown said. “I think he (Phillips) got in too big of a hurry and fumbled it off his hands. Derek Venteicher came flying in and took the center out and the ball was just kind of laying in my lap.”

The Tigers were unable to convert the turnover into points, but were able to flip field position on the ensuing drive. The Lenox defense then forced Fremont-Mills to go three and out, and a shanked punt set up Lenox on its own 35-yard line to start the game-winning drive.

“That was huge. Two years in a row we’ve had a good stand against Fremont,” Cline said. “We had one last year in the first half. It was huge. We’ve got to give our d-line all the credit in the world on that. They stepped up and made a play.”

Momentum swings

Lenox made things look easy on its opening drive, marching right down the field until Jared Hensley took an option pitch around the right side for a 29-yard touchdown run.

After a Knight three-and-out, Lenox seemingly went up 14-0 on a 55-yard touchdown pass from Cline to Hensley. But the Tigers were called for a holding penalty on the play and the drive stalled out.

Penalties derailed several Lenox drives, as the Tigers were flagged 13 times for 112 yards.

Instead, Fremont-Mills tied the game at 8-8 on a Phillips touchdown run and then went up 16-8 on Jaeger Powers’ 73-yard touchdown run with :14 left in the first quarter.

Lenox responded with 20 consecutive points to take a 28-16 lead. Cline connected with Hensley for a 55-yard touchdown that stood this time, then ran in a touchdown and finally hit Sam Donaldson for a 21-yard touchdown after Donaldson recovered a Fremont-Mills fumble three plays earlier.

The Knights got a big touchdown just before the end of the half to close to within 28-22, however. The Knights then scored just four plays into the second half on an 11-yard pass from Phillips to Parker Powers.

Phillips finished with 198 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries, while adding 60 passing yards and one touchdown.

Cline, meanwhile, led Lenox with 65 rushing yards on 16 carries with one touchdown. He threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers, passing for 242 yards and no interceptions on 9-of-18 passing.

Defensively, Lenox was led by Hensley’s seven solo tackles and eight assisted tackles, while Josh Mitchell had two solo tackles and 12 assisted stops.

After Phillips gave Fremont-Mills a 34-28 lead with an 11-yard touchdown run with 5:37 left in the third quarter, Cline hit Tullberg for a 50-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 34-34.

“We had a couple of big plays in pass receiving,” Dukes said. “This last drive, we had to have that big, long sustained drive. Mentally and physically the kids had to go out and do their jobs.”

While Lenox controls its own destiny in the District 8 title race, the championship is far from wrapped up.

The Tigers host Stanton (5-2, 3-2) and CAM (4-3, 3-2) in the final two weeks of the season, with both Stanton and CAM fighting for their playoff lives. Both teams are in a three-way tie with East Mills for third place in the district.

“The kids know this is not over,” Dukes said. “They know we have two quality football programs coming into Lenox starting with Stanton next week. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Lenox 40, Fremont-Mills 34

Lenox 8 20 6 6 - 40

FM 18 6 12 0 - 34

1st quarter

L — Jared Hensley 29 run (Carson Cline run), 9:43

FM — Sam Phillips 4 run (Nathen Hardisty pass from Phillips), 4:22

FM — Jaeger Powers 73 run (Lane Goodman pass from Phillips), :14

2nd quarter

L — Hensley 55 pass from Cline (run failed), 9:04

L — Cline 1 run (Cline run), 3:59

L — Sam Donaldson 21 pass from Cline (run failed), 2:44

FM — Phillips 1 run (pass failed), :05

3rd quarter

FM — Parker Powers 11 pass from Phillips (pass failed), 10:39

FM — Phillips 11 run (pass failed), 5:37

L — Dawson Tullberg 50 pass from Cline (run failed), 3:40

4th quarter

L — Spencer Brown 8 pass from Cline (run failed), :25

Individual leaders

Rushing: L - Carson Cline 16-65, Jared Hensley 7-52, Sam Donaldson 12-38. FM - Sam Phillips 31-198, Jaeger Powers 5-86, Parker Powers 4-30.

Passing: L - Carson Cline 9-18-0 for 242 yards. FM: Sam Phillips 6-20-1 for 60 yards, Mason Vanatta 0-1-1 for 0 yards.

Receiving: L - Spencer Brown 4-106, Dawson Tullberg 2-65, Jared Hensley 2-50, Sam Donaldson 1-21. FM - Carter Jennings 3-40, Parker Powers 1-11, Nathen Hardisty 2-9.

Tackles (solo-assists): L - Jared Hensley 7-8, Josh Mitchell 2-12, Spencer Brown 3-7, Colton Hogan 4-6, Carson Cline 4-7.

Fumble recoveries: L - Spencer Brown 1, Sam Donaldson 1.

Interceptions: L - Dawson Tullberg 2.