Ground and pound pushes Indian Land past Lewisville
Indian Land threw one pass during the second half of its 27-14 win over Lewisville, and even that attempt was a mistake, according to coach Michael Mayer.
Knowing that Lewisville’s depth was a weakness, the Warriors played to their strengths, continually giving the ball to senior fullback Austin Gordon and junior running back Lee Massey. Massey finished with 108 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, while also catching a short pass that he took for a 25-yard score.
It wasn’t just the consistent pounding of Gordon and Massey, but the pace with which Indian Land executed its offense.
“Our game plan was to come here and run our ground and pound offense as fast as we could, and hopefully they would wear out in the second half,” said Mayer. “And they kind of did.”
Maybe the delayed start - about 40 minutes late because of lightning pre-kickoff - impacted the team’s first half fluency. A fruitless first quarter was followed by a second quarter that picked up steam. Indian Land took a 6-0 lead on Massey’s 9-yard scoring weave, before Lewisville tied the game. On third down from the Warriors’ 15, Mike Hill reeled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Trey Keels.
Indian Land was back in front before halftime, the Warriors taking advantage of a 15-yard late hit that kept their possession alive. David Loughry then dumped off a short pass to Massey, who pinballed off a pair of Lions, before rumbling 25 yards into the end zone. The successful point-after made it 13-7 to the visitors, who never looked back.
Turning point
Lewisville fumbled on the first play of the second half, a costly miscue from which it couldn’t recover. Indian Land got the ball at Lewisville’s 31, and Massey capped off a short drive with a 7-yard scoring run to make it 20-6 early in the third quarter.
“We have no margin for error,” said Lewisville coach Will Mitchell, after the game. “Crucial, crucial turning point in the game.”
Critical
Lewisville had opportunities that it didn’t take advantage of, including a dropped pass on the first play of the game that would have gone for a touchdown, and the turnovers on consecutive drives to start the second half.
Star contribution
Massey was excellent, rarely going down at first contact. Paired with Gordon, who ran for 80 yards and a TD, Massey became even more effective, especially as the game wore on. His short catch turned into a touchdown probably should have been a short gain, but two Lewisville tacklers bounded into each other and Massey bounced off of them, before running into the end zone.
“He’s a solid player,” said Mitchell. “Both their backs ran good.”
Overheard
“We’re being put through some trying times and I’m not sure why,” said Mitchell. “But if the kids can stay together I feel like there is light down the end of the tunnel somewhere.”
“We’ve had our share of delays but we didn’t cope well with this one,” said Mayer. “We weren’t sharp at practice all week. We gave them Labor Day off because we always do, and just not sharp at practice this week. With the weather and stuff, it showed.”
On deck
Indian Land begins Region 4-2A action at home against Cheraw. Lewisville hits the road to face North Central for the first time since 2011.
Box score
Indian Land 27, Lewisville 14
Indian Land;0;13;14;0- 27
Lewisville;0;6;0;8- 14
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
N/A
Second quarter
ILHS -- Lee Massey 9 run (kick blocked), 8:58
LHS -- Mike Hill 15 pass from Trey Keels (kick failed), 3:41
ILHS -- Massey 25 pass from David Loughry (Matthew Medlock kick), 2:30
Third quarter
ILHS -- Massey 7 run (Medlock kick), 9:39
ILHS -- Austin Gordon 1 run (Medlock kick), 1:24
Fourth quarter
LHS -- Hill 52 yard pass from Keels (2-point pass to A.J. Robinson good), 2:26
TEAM STATISTICS
LHS;ILHS
First downs;18;11
Rushes-yards;32-124;45-227
Passing;16-30-0;2-6-0
Passing yards;238;18
Fumbles-lost;3-1;1-0
Penalties-yards;7-72;9-85
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING Indian Land: Lee Massey 20-108, Matt Murray 1-(-3), Austin Gordon 14-80, David Loughry 7-22, Dillon Howie 2-14. Lewisville: Mike Hill 8-34, Trey Keels 4-(-25), D.J Robinson 11-89, Johnny Courtney 1-2, Quentin Sanders 8-24.
PASSING Indian Land: Loughry 2-6-0, 18 yards. Lewisville: Keels 16-30-0, 238 yards.
RECEIVING Indian Land: Massey 2-18. Lewisville: Peeler 3-79, Hill 3-79, D.J. Robinson 3-27, Courtney 4-32.
RECORDS Indian Land 3-0; Lewisville 0-4.
This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 1:07 AM with the headline "Ground and pound pushes Indian Land past Lewisville."