Valdosta ends Lee County’s season

VALDOSTA — Trailing Lee County 13-0 midway through the first quarter at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, Valdosta shook off a slow start to score 28 unanswered points before holding on to win 31-25 and clinch a playoff berth as the No. 3 seed in Region 1-AAAAAA.

Valdosta turned the ball over on fumbles five times in the contest, including the possession after falling behind 13-0, but the Wildcats showed grit and determination to overcome the miscues and get secure the playoff-clinching victory.

“We went out and made some mistakes, put the ball on the ground, gave them some opportunities,” said Valdosta head coach Rance Gillespie. “One on special teams, and heck, I think we ended up having four on offense, and made it very difficult for ourselves.

“But our kids continued to battle, and we found a way to get a victory in a big football game against a good football team, even despite five total turnovers. That’s unbelievable.”

The loss eliminated Lee County (6-4) from the postseason. After starting the season at 6-0, the Trojans closed the season with four straight losses.

Despite missing starting quarterback Garret Morrell due to injury, Lee County got out to a quick start when receiver Tray Efford caught a short pass from reserve signal caller Jase Orndorff, broke a tackle, and took the ball 43-yards for a touchdown. After recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff at the Wildcats’ 31-yard line, the Trojans found the end zone again, taking a 13-point lead after an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt.

Looking to cut into the deficit, Valdosta suffered its second turnover of the evening on the next possession when Antonio Keuma coughed up the ball on a catch a play after Seth Shuman’s 21-yard run.

Losing the ball on the tail end of positive plays would be a theme for Valdosta throughout the night. Four of the Wildcats’ offensive fumbles came from three different members of the receiving corps, with all of them killing positive momentum after a completion.

“We’ve just got to protect the football at every position,” Gillespie said. “Anybody that’s carrying the football, we’ve got to make sure we’re carrying it the proper way. Obviously we’ve got some work to do there next week.”

Sophomore cornerback Jalen Harrell bailed Valdosta’s offense out of a potential three-score hole by picking off Orndorff’s pass at Lee County’s 28-yard line. Two plays later Shuman hit tight end Jontae Baker down the seam for a 26-yard score. Shuman finished the game 18-of-37 for 242 yards and the touchdown pass to Baker.

After forcing Lee County to go three-and-out on the ensuing possession, Valdosta took a 14-13 lead with a seven-play drive capped by Tim Griffin’s 1-yard touchdown plunge.

With the offense rolling now, the Wildcats didn’t let up. Taking over at Lee County’s 46, Valdosta went up 21-13 with 9:46 remaining in the first half on Shuman’s game-breaking 31-yard touchdown scramble.

Another Valdosta fumble on the first play of the second half gave Lee County a chance to narrow the margin, but the Trojans returned the favor when Orndorff tossed his second interception of the day — this one to Rashay March on a deep pass into the end zone.

A few possessions later J.J. Strickland took his first carry of the game 36 yards to the house to push Valdosta’s lead to a nearly insurmountable 28-13.

Lee County made a late charge thanks to some late game miscues by Valdosta, including its fifth turnover, to draw within three points at 28-25, but it was too little too late. The Wildcats went on a four-minute drive to add a 28-yard field goal, and the defense held on two late possessions to maintain the final score at 31-28.

Demerious Milton carried the ball 21 times for 119 yards and Orndorff completed 17-of-19 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown with three interceptions in his second career start. While disappointed with the loss, Lee County head coach Dean Fabrizio liked his team’s will to compete until the end.

“I’m proud of our kids,” Fabrizio said. “We’re here with our back-up quarterback making his second start. Our top two receivers, one was very limited with an injury, raw other one out.

“To be able to come into there, in Valdosta, and fight right to the end, and have the ball at the end with a chance to win it a couple times and get held on downs like last week, I’m proud of our kids and how they played.”