BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN ––
It looked different for Lee-Scott having last year’s AISA Back of the Year, George Myers, watching from the stands, but his brother was one of four backs to find the end zone on Friday night in a 51-0 thumping of Monroe at home.
Senior Jonathan Myers caught a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Pelzer Reeves before running one in for the Warriors’ first two offensive scores of the night. There were a lot more of those, as Lee-Scott scored on seven of eight offensive drives including rushing TDs from Myers, Banks Sims, Tyler Kennedy and Braxton Cox.
“Last week was kind of a down game running the ball, and then to come out here and dominate the way we did was the best feeling in the world,” Myers said.
The Warriors squeaked by Chambers with a 14-6 win to begin the season, but they picked up where they left off last season in their 15th consecutive victory. While improving to 2-0, they pitched their first shutout of the year after blanking seven opponents last season.
The run game prevailed, and the Warriors controlled the field position throughout. Monroe never made it past the Lee-Scott 40-yard line, and the Warriors broke off big runs throughout the night, ending with sophomore backup QB Ethan Hardee ripping off a 62-yard keeper in his first appearance with the team after transferring in from Mississippi following last season.
According to head coach Buster Daniel, the shift in offensive output from week one to week two is, in large part, due to improved play on the offensive line.
“I was really impressed (with the running game), but it starts up front,” Daniel said. “Our linemen did a lot better this week, and we had a couple freshman score there at the end. So I’m real proud of the whole team for coming back and performing like we did tonight.”
On a rainy night full of Warrior scores, the onslaught started with a snap over the Monroe punter’s head that was recovered by Lee-Scott for a TD. From then on, Lee-Scott never looked back and scored three more TDs before senior kicker Matthew Rolader ended the first half by nailing a 44-yard field goal to make it a 31-0 lead at halftime.
Ending the scoring in a 20-point second half was Cox, another freshman who was playing on varsity for the first time. The Warriors scored on all three second-half possessions, aided by good field position.
Defensively, the Warriors forced six Monroe punts, two turnovers on downs in addition to a Kennedy interception in opposing territory in the second quarter.
“[Our defense] played extremely well,” Daniel said. “[Monroe’s] offense is hard to defend. They come straight at you, and if we weren’t able to stop the run it was gonna be a long night, but our guys stepped up. We played well, and I was proud of our defense.”
In a complete team effort, Lee-Scott opposed its will on Monroe, and it might have begun to find its own identity — a separate identity from the one George Myers and the Warriors formed in the route to a state championship last season.
The newest Myers, Jonathan and the Warriors will return home next week to face Morgan Academy at 7 p.m. CST as they continue their quest for back-to-back state titles with a chance to extend their win streak to 16 games.
