Rested coming off of a bye week, varsity football was visibly lackadaisical in their 59-57 loss to the unexpectedly explosive Lee Volunteers last Friday night at Heroes Stadium.
Both teams flew out of the gates offensively as they combined to put up 50 points in the first 13 minutes of the game. As the game settled, running back Daijon Williams once again proved to be the steady constant for the MacArthur offense rushing for 163 yards and 4 touchdowns in this hectic game. Williams averages 146.6 yards per game this season which leads the district.
Quarterback Tyler Vitt struggled throughout the game as he was constantly under pressure leading to multiple sacks and knockdowns. Out of rhythm, Vitt only completed 41% of his passes and threw his first, second, and third interceptions of the season. However, he did deliver when the team needed points in the late stages of the game.
The defense struggled even more so as Lee scored a whopping 49 points at halftime and racked up 572 total yards in the game. Although linebacker Joey Fiel intercepted two passes, and the defense recovered two fumbles, the team never seemed to make the key stops when it mattered, which led to Lee’s game winning field goal.
There were a total of 28 penalties, 50 first downs, and 2 punts between the two schools. This game had all of the controversy, spectacular plays, and late game drama needed to make it a truly classic football game.
The five turnovers and 15 penalties never allowed Mac to gain control of the game in this see-saw affair, which Head Coach Ben Cook knows is strictly their own fault.
“It’s self inflicted,” Cook said. “It’s a little bit of us not playing very well, but you have to give credit to Lee, they wanted it and they played hard.”
The Brahmas have held at least a 21 point lead in their last four games, all of which have been easy victories. However, after this tough loss, the message for the rest of the season is simple.
“We’ve got to come out and play, and this could be a moment when we wake up and one that galvanizes us,” Cook said. “We’ve gone a long way kicking people’s tails, and we got ours kicked tonight. Now we’ve got to come back and we have to get it done.”
After a fairly calm first six games to the season, now their backs are against the wall. They will play two of the top teams in the city, and Roosevelt, over the next three games. The fun begins this Friday night, against 8-0 Reagan.
