Up by one touchdown with the second-quarter clock winding down in a hurry, Liberty Christian put together a furious drive toward the end zone Friday night.
It wasn't a make-or-break moment against visiting Brookville, but hey, if you have the opportunity to turn on the jets and grab a bigger lead going into the locker room, you have to take it in high profile Seminole District matchups.
So that's what the Bulldogs did, going nearly 80 yards in the final 1 minute and 20 seconds of the half to take a two-touchdown lead and set Brookville on its heels. It was a key drive, and LCA sustained its momentum in the second half for a 35-7 victory over the Bees at Liberty University's Williams Stadium.
"If I could tell you the countless hours that we put into that," LCA lineman Zach Rice said, referencing LCA's hurry-up offense. "Just like two-minute offense, crunch time, really when you put your mind to something, who can stop you at that point? But experience and repetition also helps."
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Quarterback Davis Lane engineered the drive, and the track state champion showcased his speed with a couple of first-down runs. He then threw a 21-yard strike to Camden Clinton that gave the Bulldogs (4-0) a 21-7 lead five seconds before halftime.
"We work on that two-minute drill every week and we just practice it all the time," Lane said. "We got in a situation and made it happen."
Brookville (3-1) had just started chipping away at a 14-0 hole by scoring with 1:28 left in the first half off a 1-yard plunge by Tayshaun Butler. But that proved to be the only score of the night for the Bees, as the LCA defense toughened up and stalled numerous drives with third- and fourth-down stops.
The two teams entered vying for the top spot in the Virginia High School League's Region 3C power point poll. LCA entered leading BHS in the top spot by less than one point, with Heritage in third place. The Bulldogs now will expand on that lead.
LCA finished with 420 yards of total offense. Freshman Gideon Davidson led the way with 160 rushing yards on 11 carries and scored twice, first on a 10-yard run for the first TD of the night late in the first quarter and then in the fourth when he broke away for a 69-yard sprint.
"Big win against cross-town rival," he said. "I really enjoyed it. Last year [in February] I sat and watched us get beat by Brookville and I really wanted to get it. So this was my opportunity. Just wanted to run hard and do my job."
Every game is getting more enjoyable for the 6-foot freshman, who holds college offers from UVa, Liberty and Penn State.
"I'm getting more experience, getting more used to it, getting used to the big hits. I wasn't used to that in JV," Davidson said.
Brookville quarterback Drake McDaniel threw for 101 yards, while running Butler rushed for 98 yards on 23 carries. Ethan Robey added 51 receiving yards off three catches. But the 5-foot-10 junior who entered leading the team in receiving yards took a hit under double coverage while trying to reel in a pass near the visiting sideline, and he limped to the bench with what appeared to be an ankle injury. He never returned.
Robey was one of three receivers injured Friday, as Stephen Preston and Nik Dunford all missed major parts of the action. All are integral to Brookville's offense.
"We'll have to regroup and look at some things and maybe move some guys around," BHS coach Jon Meeks said. "But overall, I thought it was a good, hard-hitting, fun, clean high school football game. They were better tonight."
Brookville showcased its Wildcat formation with Butler at QB and turned to Silas Rucker (24 rushing yards, 31 passing yards) on the final series, with McDaniel out at receiver. In the first quarter, the Bees drove down to the LCA 9-yard line, but came up short on 4th and 1.
"We've got two weeks until the next game, so hopefully something changes between now and then and they come back next week," McDaniel said of his three receivers.
Caleb Davidson, Gideon's older brother, also scored two touchdowns and added 71 rushing yards for LCA, which played its first game against a Seminole opponent Friday. Lane finished with 93 rushing yards, including a 60-yard run that set up his team's second touchdown of the night, and the three runners combined for all of LCA's 324 yards on the ground. Kicker Case Dupin notched all five of his PAT attempts.
Lane was impressed with LCA's defensive performance. Brookville finished with 296 yards of total offense, but LCA bore down in key moments to hold the Bees to one score.
"They played awesome," Lane said of the defense. "They made some huge stops, and they really set the tone at the beginning of the game."