Bad weather ends Greensboro’s misery
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 25, 2002
Friday night’s game between the Demopolis High School Tigers and the Greensboro Raiders was called for bad weather. Lightning prompted officials to stop play with time left in the third quarter.
A half hour later the officials called the game for good. However, the lightning strike of the game had already hit Greensboro with the opening kickoff of the second half when
Laquinton Lomax ran back 85 yards for a touchdown.
After that score there was an eerie quiet on the Raider side of Robert Lucky Field as Greensboro fans faced an uphill climb.
You can’t feel bad for the fans Friday night for the game being cut short. There was more than enough action in the first half, especially the first quarter.
Tiger fans felt a little uncomfortable right away as the Raiders’ Johnny Wilkins scored on a 74-yard run. Jonathan Lee’s point-after-touchdown was good, and with 10:56 left in the first quarter, DHS was down 7-0.
However, Tiger tailback Marco Rembert returned the favor with a 94-yard kickoff return for a TD. Matt Chambless’ PAT was good. With 10:40 still to play in the first, the score was tied 7-7.
Rembert struck again with 6:55 left and a 66-yard TD run. The PAT failed, however, and the score was DHS 13-Greensboro 7.
The Raiders unfortunately fumbled the ball right back to Tiger Ezell Braxton. DHS was in business on the Greensboro 20-yard line, and in two plays the Tigers scored.
Rembert scored on an eight-yard run. He also scored on a two-point conversion, and with 6:25 still left in the first, the score was DHS 21-Greensboro 7.
The Tigers struck again with a 59-yard TD pass from quarterback Dusty Goodwin to Bart Pettus. Matt Chambless’ PAT was good.
With 2:52 left in the first quarter, the score was DHS 28-Greensboro 7.
Then came a weird period in the game where DHS was hurt by penalties and fumbles.
There was a roughing the passer penalty against the Tigers.
Rembert fumbled the ball on the 18-yard line with 25 seconds left in the first quarter.
Greensboro threw a pass for a touchdown as the second quarter began, but the Raider receiver fumbled the ball right before he went over the goal line. Tiger cornerback Dontrell Miller picked up the fumble and ran.
The Tigers were penalized for a push in the back on Miller’s run. Then the Tigers fumbled the ball again.
Greensboro’s Wilkins finally got the ball in the end zone again with a four-yard run. Lee’s PAT was good, and with 8:01 left in the first half, the score was DHS 28-Greensboro 14.
There was another DHS fumble, a face mask penalty and then a holding penalty that denied Rembert a touchdown late in the first half.
There was a flag on DHS for a false start.
But The Tigers got it together, and William Burrell ran four yards for a touchdown with 39.5 seconds left before halftime. Chambless’ PAT was good, and the halftime score was DHS 35-Greensboro 14.
As the second half opened, Lomax bobbled the kickoff, ran the tightrope of the sideline, but once he got loose, he was gone for that morale killing 85-yard run.
Chambless’ PAT was good, and with 11:43 left in the third, the score was DHS 42-Greensboro 14.
The Tigers weren’t through scoring. Dusty Goodwin later hit Michael Lee for a seven-yard TD pass. The PAT was no good, and the eventual final score was DHS 48-Greensboro 14.
Weather was not a factor for the majority of the game. Rain only began falling in the third quarter.
DHS had 14 first downs to the Raiders’ 10.
The Tigers rushed 18 times for 120 yards. Greensboro rushed 21 times for 112 yards. Marco Rembert rushed 13 times for 121 yards.
DHS completed nine of 15 passes for 146 yards and no interceptions. The Raiders completed 11 of 22 passes for 137 yards and no interceptions.
Bart Pettus had two catches for 69 yards, and Michael Lee had three catches for 31 yards.
Total yards were 266 for DHS and 249 for Greensboro.
DHS fumbled four times and loss three while the Raiders fumbled seven times and lost two.
The Tigers punted once for 28 yards, and Greensboro punted three times for a 31.3 average.
DHS was penalized seven times for 75 yards, and Greensboro was penalized three times for 26 yards.
The Demopolis Tigers are now 4-0 and will next travel to Choctaw County High in Butler, Alabama.