Varsity team tames Leopards

Running+back+%5C%5C+On+the+third+possession+with+the+ball%2C+Runningback+Eno+Benjamin+rushed+for+a+75+yard+touchdown+to+put+the+game+away+against+the+Lovejoy+Leopards%2C+42-28+Oct.+16.

photo credit: Gwen Murphy

Running back \\ On the third possession with the ball, Runningback Eno Benjamin rushed for a 75 yard touchdown to put the game away against the Lovejoy Leopards, 42-28 Oct. 16.

writer: Nehemiah Reason, Contributor

The Lovejoy Leopards made their way through district to be 3-0, but after playing the Raiders, they are now 3-1.

Going into this game, the Raiders knew it was time for war, remembering how talented and skilled their opponents were, they went out ready to battle.

“We got this y’all,” freshman safety Corbin Johnson said at the beginning of the game.

What made this game even more of a rough ride was that the Raiders have Lovejoy’s previous offensive coordinator, Shawn Purcell.

“This is going to be the hardest game in our district. We have to come out and execute to pull out a win guys,” Coach Purcell said to the team prior to kickoff.

The first half of the game was a struggle for the Raiders. They left the game close at halftime but still had the lead.

“We went into halftime thinking ‘we can’t let this slip away like we did Ryan,’” senior cornerback Troy Bradley said.

The team came up with a game plan to confuse the Leopards’ defense. The Raiders came out looking like a different team. They came running out of the tunnel, screaming with pride.

Quarterback Braden Shewmake threw two back-to-back touchdowns, one was to the underestimated receiver Justin Bailey, the other to Jared Wyatt.

On the third possession with the ball, Running Back Eno Benjamin rushed for a 75 yard touchdown to put the game away against the Lovejoy Leopards.

“We should have never lost to them,” Benjamin said.

As the clock slowly ticked away, the Raiders knew they finally completed the task of defeating the Lovejoy Leopards ending the game with a 42-28 win.