Lenox continues to dominate ‘Back Forty Battle’

LENOX – Lenox (4-0) continued to dominate the “Back Forty Battle” Friday night, knocking off rival Bedford (0-4) in a 46-6 blowout.

The Tigers didn’t waste any time getting out in front. A heavy dose of rushes and long pass from Cullen Wood to Brad Larson after taking the opening kickoff was capped off with a touchdown run by Isaac Grundman, giving Lenox a 6-0 lead three minutes into the game.

Bedford went three-and-out on its first possession, but on the punt, a big hit forced a fumble. The Bulldogs recovered and scored on a 4th-and-4. A near 30-yard pass to Silas Walston gave Bedford its only points of the game at 6:37 in the first quarter.

“We were worried a little that our kids would come in a little over hyped with the rivalry and the moment,” Lenox co-head coach Michael Nardini said. “They came out, kept their heads on straight and they executed. It was really good to see, especially when they started throwing some different things at us.”

Continuing the run-heavy offense, Lenox capitalized with a play-action pass after a penalty on second down to push the score to 14-6 with a successful two-point conversion.

The defense made its mark in the first quarter, stopping a Bedford drive in the Tigers’ territory. On the ensuing drive, Lenox drove the length of the field. Wood scored on a quarterback keeper to extend the lead to 20-6 three seconds into the second quarter.

Nardini said entering Friday, he wasn’t sure what Bedford would do with its defensive ends after crashing on three weeks’ worth of film, but the offense was able to make adjustments with a veteran offensive line.

“We didn’t know if they were going to keep (the defensive ends) outside,” Nardini said. “They did some different games with their linemen inside. Their nose tackle and their linebacker were doing kind of a twist in there. It was something we haven’t seen for a couple of games, but we were able to communicate it upfront.”

The defense continued to make adjustments, stopping Bedford when the Bulldogs were able to move the ball down the field. Bedford quarterback Tristen Cummings scrambles were the main source offense, along with quick screen passes, but Lenox was able to snuff the two out in the second half.

Wood scored again before the half, picking up a low snap and following blockers to the outside into the end zone. Lenox led 28-6 at the half.

Wood rushed for two more touchdowns in the second half as the offense methodically moved its way down the field. He also connected with Keegan Christensen for a touchdown pass.

Entering the game, Nardini said using the weapons he has is the outlook the Tigers want rather than focusing on a run-heavy or pass-heavy attack.

“We’ve got some guys that just make plays,” Nardini said. “We’ve got guys that we can throw the ball up to and when you have a couple of weapons like that, you find ways to get them out there in space. We have a few plays that are designed specifically for that. ... I really like where we’re at with the run-pass too.”

Streaking down the middle of the field, Christensen made the catch, breaking a pair of tackles and found his way into the end zone to give Lenox its 46-6 final score and start the clock rolling with 1:22 left in the third quarter.

Wood, Larson and Christensen were major pieces to the puzzle Friday. Leading the offense, Wood passed for 194 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 137 yards and four more touchdowns on the ground.

Nardini said having Wood understand and control the offense is something that is built off the relationship he has with his senior quarterback.

“There’s a lot of trust there – a lot of trust between me and Cullen,” Nardini said. “At quarterback, you’ve got to have trust with him. He runs the show in there, he takes command of the huddle. He battled through injuries two years ago and had to figure out who he was again last year, but he’s running hard and throwing the ball better than he ever has. That’s a testament to his individual play and him getting better each week.”

Wood’s major targets, Larson and Christensen, combined for all Lenox’s receiving yards. Larson had three catches for 77 yards and one touchdown. Christensen had 117 yards on three catches with a touchdown of his own.

UP NEXT – Lenox takes its toughest test yet in state-ranked CAM Friday at home, starting at 7 p.m.

Lenox 46, Bedford 6

BF 6 0 0 0 - 6

LN 14 12 0 0 - 46

1st quarter

LN — Isaac Grundman 1 run (Two-point conversion no good), 8:53.

BF – Silas Walston 20 pass from Tristen Cummings (Two-point conversion no good), 6:37.

LN – Brad Larson 29 pass from Cullen Wood (Two-point conversion successful), 4:24.

2nd quarter

LN — Cullen Wood 7 rush (Two-point conversion no good), 11:57.

LN – Cullen Wood 8 rush (Two-point conversion no good), 1:18.

3rd quarter

LN —Cullen Wood 10 rush (Two-point conversion no good), 6:54.

LN – Cullen Wood 10 rush (Wood rush, two-point conversion), 5:30.

LN – Keegan Christensen 55 pass from Cullen Wood (Two-point conversion no good), 1:22.

Individual leaders

Rushing: BF - Tristen Cummings 14-33, Eli Morris 5-7 Logan Bucher 1-8. LN - Cullen Wood 11-137-4, Brad Larson 10-104, Isaac Grundman 16-73-1, Keigan Kitzman 2-13, Samson Adams 1-(-1), Parker Reed 1-8, Walon Cook 1-0.

Passing: BF - Tristen Cummings 14-29 for 97 yards. LN - Cullen Wood 6-10 for 194 yards.

Receiving: BF - Asher Weed 6-81, Gage Godsey 3-25, Logan Bucher 2-(-3), Silas Walston 2-25, Garrett Green 1-8. LN - Keegan Christensen 3-117, Brad Larson 3-77.

Tackles (solo-assists): BF - Garrett Green 7-3, Jed Weaver 7-1, Logan Bucher 5-2, Carter DeMott 4-2, Shay Purdy 3-0.5, Dawson Stream 2-0.5, Asher Weed 0-1, Bradyon Daly 1-0, Silas Walston 1-0, Bryson Ewart 1-0, Hunter Peirce 1-0, Tanner Snethen 1-0, Micah Nally, 0-0.5. LN - Andrew Keenan 5-2.5, Keigan Kitzman 4-1.5, Walon Cook 4-1, Isaac Grundman 5-0, Devin Whipple 4-0.5, Samson Adams 2-1, Brad Larson 1-0.5, Danny Ramirez 1-1, Dalton Kitzman 1-0, Jake Cox 1-0, Juan Alonso, 1-0, Parker Reed 0-0.5, Rex Hoffman 0-0.5, Hernan Castor 0-0.5, Keegan Christensen 0-0.5, Dawson Marshall 0-0.5.

Tackles for loss: BF - Carter DeMott 2. LN - Devin Whipple 2, Andrew Keenan 2, Isaac Grundman 1, Keigan Kitzman 1, Hernan Caster 0.5, Keegan Christensen 0.5, Dawson Marshall 0.5, Parker Reed 0.5.

Interceptions: LN - Keegan Christensen 1.