SUGAR HILL — Timing is everything.
And the Lanier football team picked the wrong time to have its worst game of the season Friday night.
If it could go wrong for the Longhorns it did, and Northgate took advantage of virtually every mistake in taking a 41-21 victory in the second round of the Class AAAAA playoffs at Lanier Community Stadium.
A brutal opening 12 minutes with two turnovers and uncharacteristic defensive breakdowns set the tone for Lanier, which fell behind 21-0 barely six minutes into the game and never recovered.
“No doubt that was our worst game of the season. A bad time to do that. You can’t have a bad game this time of year and expect to move on,” Lanier coach Korey Mobbs said. “But (Northgate) is a very good team and they played a good game.”
The Vikings came in as the highest scoring team in Class AAAAA and showed off their versatility in the opening 12 minutes. They pounded the ball inside with Kyle Cater and used Ton Evans outside to soften up a Longhorns defense ranked No. 2 behind Northgate and yielding just 9.5 points a game. The Vikings turned four Lanier turnovers into 21 points.
Northgate, known for its punishing wing-T attack, took the opening drive 76-yards but it was a 24-yard pass from Kyle McLaren to Isaiah Prayor on 3rd-and-11 and then a 27-yard touchdown strike from McLaren to Jay Anderson capped the drive that were the killing blows.
The Vikings defense then set its own tone stripping Lanier quarterback Tahj Tolbert on the Longhorns second offensive play of the game and recovered at the Longhorns 28. They needed just three plays, McLaren and Anderson hooking up for a 28-yard touchdown pass for a 14-0 lead not even half way through the first quarter.
The Northgate defense struck again moments later on the next Lanier possession knocking the ball loose from Marcko Baity at the Lanier 17 and Cater capped the short drive with a 3-yard scoring run for a 21-0 lead.
“The turnovers hurt and we got hurt on third down giving up some big plays,” Mobbs said. “We really haven’t done that all year. We didn’t quit but we just couldn’t get it totally going either.”
Lanier went three-and-out on its next possession but the Longhorns defense forced its first Northgate punt late in the quarter. Ethan Wilson temporarily got the Longhorns back in the game taking the ensuing punt 70-yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-7 with 1:26 left in the first quarter.
The two teams traded a pair of punts to start the second quarter and Lanier looked poised to force a third punt putting the Vikings in a 3rd-and-20 at their 20. But Evans broke four tackles and got to the outside and outraced the Lanier defense for an 80-yard touchdown run with 4:19 left in the half for a 28-7 lead.
Northgate dominated the stat sheet as well piling up 151 yards rushing and 79 passing in the first half. Lanier was held to 5 yards rushing on 14 carries. Tolbert was sacked three times and was just 1-for 4 passing for 17 yards in the first half.
In the third quarter Lanier had a drive going but a long pass was dropped deep in Northgate territory and the Longhorns were forced to punt. Northgate left any doubt for a comeback driving 85 yards, aided by several key Lanier penalties with Evans capping the drive with a 1-yard dive into the end zone for a 34-7 lead after a missed extra point with 2:49 left in the third quarter.
Evans added another 4-yard touchdown run to cap a long drive midway through the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Lanier finished the scoring when Marcella Baity caught a 12-pass from Tolbert with 3:37 left for the final score. The Longhorns could not recover an onside kick and the Vikings ran out the clock to preserve the win.
It was tough ending for a senior group that put the Longhorns on the gridiron map. In their final two seasons the Lanier seniors went 21-2 with a pair of Region 8-AAAAA titles and the program’s first-ever home playoff win. The program is just six years old.
“It was a great group of seniors and they helped establish this program and have set the bar high for those to follow,” Mobbs said. “It hurts losing but I love those kids and they gave us everything they had and did it with class and integrity.”
The group includes defensive end Derrick Brown, who is consdiered the top defensive recruit in the state. The realizarion had set in afterwards when Brown was surrounded by family and friends with tears running down his face.
He was too overcome with emotion to talk. But Mobbs and Brown shared a final hug on the field before heading to the locker room for the final time together.
SCORING SUMMARY
Northgate.....21.....7....6....7 -- 41
Lanier............7.....0....0..14 -- 14
First Quarter
N -- Anderson 27 pass from McLaren (Skalski kick) 7-0, 7:37
N -- Anderson 28 pass from McLaren (Skalski kick) 14-0, 6:11
N -- Cater 3 run (Skalski kick) 21-0, 4:26
L -- Wilson 70 punt return (Thomas kick) 21-7, 1:26
Second Quarter
N -- Evans 80 run (Skalski kick) 28-7, 4:19
Third Quarter
N -- Evans 1 run (kick failed) 34-7, 2:49
Fourth Quarter
L -- Stroud 25 run (Thomas kick) 34-14, 11:45
N -- Evans 4 run (Skalski kick) 41-14, 5:55
L -- Marcella Baity 12 pass from Tolbert (Thomas kick) 41-21, 3:37
