Scroll down to view complete photo gallery Playoff-bound teams make big plays in the fourth quarter.
That’s exactly what Holmes’ junior defensive back Chris Hayes did when he intercepted two fourth-quarter passes in the Bulldogs’ 28-12 home victory over Franklin County on Friday.
Hayes’ first interception stalled a game-changing drive for Franklin County. With 6:59 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Flyers trailed, 21-12, but Hayes ended any threat of a comeback by picking off quarterback Jeremy Gardner's deep pass.
Shortly afterward, Holmes quarterback Jesse Jenson fumbled the ball, returning possession to the Flyers, but Hayes came up big again, intercepting his second pass of the game with 5:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. Hayes’ second interception led to a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Jenson to seal the victory for the Bulldogs.
“We have a motto that we play every play,” Bulldogs head coach Stephen Lickert said. “We got better at what we do. We game plan and we saw what [Franklin County] does well.”
The game was really a tale of two halves. Each team in the first half relied on its defense, with Holmes only scoring once early in the first quarter. Desean Peterson’s 25-yard reception from Jenson with 8:09 remaining in the first quarter was the only score of the first half.
Peterson finished the game with six receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown. Jenson finished the game with 8 of 14 passing for 135 yards, two passing touchdowns and one touchdown rushing.
Two first-half goal line stands by the Holmes defense, with 3:24 remaining in the first quarter and 6:25 remaining in the second, respectively, sent the game into halftime with Holmes ahead, 7-0.
“We beat ourselves tonight,” said Franklin County head coach Aaron Stepp. “The bottom line is when you come out of the red zone with zero, nothing, its not good.”
Swift offensive plays and quick scoring marked the second half. Four combined scores between the two teams within seven minutes in the third quarter set the stage for the fourth quarter.
To begin the third quarter, Franklin jumped onto the scoreboard on a 53-yard run by halfback Aaron Lackey with 9:55 remaining in the third quarter. After a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Flyers trailed by one.
A little less than four minutes later, Holmes struck back on an 8-yard reception by Hayes to make it 14-6. Frankly County’s Ryan Timmons' 65-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 4:31 remaining in the third quarter brought the Flyers to within two, but kicker Jeremy Gardner’s point after was no good.
Holmes running back Greg Clemon’s 59-yard touchdown run with 4:14 remaining in the third quarter catapulted the Bulldogs to a 21-12 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Clemons finished the game with 89 yards rushing on six carries with one touchdown.
“Greg is a really good runner inside,” Lickert said. “We’ve got a stable of running backs than can play. When we had to run downhill a lot, so Greg is a better downhill runner than the other guys. We just felt like Greg had to have the ball a little more.”
Holmes' 6-0 record on the season qualifies the team for the postseason. The last time the Bulldogs earned six victories or more was in 2001, when the team went 8-4. Bulldogs coach Stephen Lickert credits the success of the program to his coaching staff and the team’s desire to win.
“The biggest thing is the kids wanted to win so bad that they do whatever we asked them to do,” Lickert said. “That took some time -- some head beating against the wall. I mean a lot of it too. Kids are going to make mistakes, but the key is to stick with them and be firm but you got to love them.”
Lickert came to Holmes three seasons ago from Dayton. During his time at Dayton, Lickert turned the program around. After inheriting a 3-7 ball club after the 2004 season, Dayton posted records of 4-6 in 2005 and 6-5 in 2006 under Lickert’s tutelage. During his time at Holmes, Lickert has taken the Bulldogs from a 4-6 team, when he arrived in 2007, to the current 6-0 playoff-bound squad.
When asked about the desire to go undefeated this season, Lickert profoundly said “absolutely.”
“But we don’t think about week 10, we think about week 7,” Lickert said. “We didn’t come into this game thinking we want to beat Dixie next week or Scott the week after. We came in saying ‘We got to beat Franklin County.’”
FRANKLIN COUNTY 0-0-12-0—12
at HOLMES 7-0-14-7—28
H-Peterson 25 pass from Jenson (Ghanbar kick)
F-Lackey 53 run (conversion failed)
H-Hayes 8 pass from Jenson (Ghanbar kick)
F-Timmons 65 pass from Gardner (kick failed)
H-Clemons 59 run (Ghanbar kick)
H-Jenson 2 run (Ghanbar kick)
RECORDS: Holmes 6-0, Franklin County 1-5.
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