Lamar County turns on Turbo in second half

VERNON, Ala., - In the first half of a heated county rivalry Thursday night neither Sulligent or Lamar County could get anything going offensively and headed into halftime in a scoreless stalemate.

But the homestanding Bulldogs were able to come out of the locker room and strike the initial blow on their first possession of the second half and tacked on another late touchdown to walk away with a 14-0 win at George Bell Stadium.

"At times this year we haven't had the effort we've got to have to win," said Lamar County head coach Ken Adams. "Some of it is maturity and some of it is they just don't know if they can do it. Tonight they came out and they were determined. After the last two weeks it was either we had to step up or not. They did and I am very proud of them."

One player that dominated the second half was Eric Hudson, who rushed for two touchdowns and snagged a late fourth quarter interception to seal the win for Lamar County.

Hudson, known more by his nickname 'Turbo', finished the night with 156 yards of offense including 117 yards on the ground on 29 carries. He also completed 3-of-9 passing for 39 yards and an interception.

"We just had to play hard and everybody worked as a team," Hudson said. "Everybody just played as one. The line got down and blocked and the defense closed down. We don't like Sulligent. That's our rivals."

Justin Perkins hauled in a pair of passes for 25 yards to help the Bulldogs (3-3) finish with 217 total yards of offense.

The Lamar County defense also stood strong limiting the Blue Devils to not only a shutout but just 68 yards of offense and two turnovers.

"(Lamar County) just had a great game tonight," said Sulligent interim coach Ronnie Hubbard. "I thought that we had more athletes but they just held onto the ball. We couldn't get anything going on offense and that's just the truth. I hate it for our guys and it's all on me, I just didn't have them ready."

The Bulldogs orchestrated a 13-play, 67-yard drive on their opening possession of the third quarter to finally break open the scoreless tie. Hudson plowed his way in from a yard out on a quarterback sneak.

Tyler Sprouse came on to kick the extra point to give Lamar County a 7-0 lead.

Lamar County was threatening on their next drive but Hudson was picked off by Mason Franklin at his own 11-yard line. But Sulligent was unable to move the chains and punted the ball right back to the Bulldogs.

Lamar County took over near midfield and marched the distance in eight plays as Hudson rushed in from 8-yards out on a sweep left. Sprouse again provided the point after to go up 14-0 with just under four minutes remaining.

The Blue Devils offense took the field at the 50-yard line following two Lamar County penalties and a 22-yard return by Ryan Reeves. Sulligent moved as close as the Bulldogs 35-yard line but Hudson intercepted a John Potmesil pass that was tipped by his teammate Perkins to douse any hopes of a comeback.

"We gave (Potmesil) a good rush and he went back to the right side and tried to throw it back across the middle," Hudson said. "Our three man came up and jumped up for the ball and I came down with it."

Ken Hill also recorded a first half interception for Lamar County

Potmesil finished the night 3-of-11 passing for 27 yards and two interceptions.

Sulligent, who fell to 5-2, was led on the ground by Ishmael Riggins with 11 carries for 40 yards. Wesley Parson caught all three passes for 27 yards.

Lamar County hopes to build off the momentum next week hosting Colbert County while the Blue Devils attempt to bounce back against Red Bay at home.

Sulligent 0 0 0 0 - 0

Lamar County 0 0 7 7 - 14

Third Quarter:

LCHS - Eric Hudson 1-yard run (Tyler Sprouse kick)

Fourth Quarter:

LCHS - Hudson 8-yard run (Sprouse kick)

Team Stats:

SHS LCHS

First Downs: 7 12

Rushes: 24-41 51-178

Passing: 27 39

Comp-Att-Int: 3-12-2 3-9-1

Return Yards: 42 9

Fumbles-Lost: 0-0 1-0

Penalties: 3-16.5 7-50

Individual Statistics:

Rushing: Sulligent - Ishmael Riggins 11-40, Wesley Parson 3-5, Peter Swaningan 5-2, Storm Plunkett 1-1, Team 1-(-2), John Potmesil 2-(-2), Tony Johnson 1-(-3); Lamar County - Eric Hudson 29-117, Ken Hill 12-46, Lemetrius Williams 6-20, Alex Wheeler 1-2, Ty Waldon 1-(-3), Team 2-(-4)

Passing: Sulligent - John Potmesil 3-11-27-2, Peter Swaningan 0-1-0; Lamar County - Eric Hudson 3-9-39-1

Receiving: Sulligent - Wesley Parson 3-27; Lamar County - Justin Perkins 2-25, Ken Hill 1-14