FOOTBALL VS. ARENDELL PARROTT PATRIOTS

Lightning Football returns to Gatlinburg, TN, for the season opener against Arendell Parrott Academy (Kinston, NC).

BROADCAST TEAM:
Drake Holmes – Stats
Matt Holmes – Color Commentary
Wesley Holmes – Camera
Kirk Stallings – Assistant Producer
Scott Stafford – Producer / Play-by-play Announcer

audio. Check. Check. Mic check. M check. Mic check. One, two. Mic check one two. Mic check one two. Mic check one two. Mic check one two. Mic check one two. Oh, I know. Mic check one two. So we are at 958 to go on the scoreboard. counting. Okay, we’re live. Apologies folks out there. Hey, not as bad as last year. No, not at all. We went dark last year. So, we are live from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Pitman Stadium on the campus of Rocky Top Sports World for the annual Black Bear Brawl where the Lightning are kicking off the 2025 campaign. The Lightning have the ball first receiving the kickoff and are at the 15 yardd line. I’m Scott Stafford. I’ll be your producer and playbyplay today. And with me, my sidekick is Matt Holmes, who will be handling color commentary as a handoff is not given. He keeps it does Eli Black and gets down to about the 11 where it’s going to be second and six. Matt, how are you doing, man? I’m doing great. I’m excited to be up here. It’s a little bit cooler. I’m not going to say it’s cool, but it’s a little bit cooler. uh as we saw Eli Black with the fake uh to Isaac Griffin going around the quarter. They kind of bid on that and gave uh Ben a little bit of running room up the middle. Indeed. Lightning are coming off uh another ACSC title. Three in a row and 39 straight eightman games for the Lightning under head coach Tim Smith as they go trips to the top of the formation. This time tight end to the bottom. Man in motion is Ben Davis. Eli Black up the middle. Close to first down yardage. He’ll have it. It’ll be first and goal Lightning. Yeah, great job of spreading the offense out. It gave uh gave us an opportunity to get the defense uh kind of back on their heels uh for big gain up the mini uh middle for first and goal. It looks like Eli Black first year starter at quarterback. He was the backup last year. mostly played receiver on offense, was a a star on defense for the Lightning, and he’ll be called on to perform those duties as well a lot this year is same formation for the Lightning. Eli again will keep it as he is I think that’s at least his third carry on this drive as we were working through the technical difficulties to get the live stream started. Yeah, Eli comes with uh some great stats from last year. 67% completion rating. Now that’s two for three, but uh at least some good momentum moving in. Had a great first pass to uh I believe that was Ben Davis for about a 50yard pass uh opening play of the game uh to create some really good momentum for this team. That’s right. And man flanking black to the left this time. He wants to throw looking to the end zone in the back of the end zone through the hands of Ben Davis. Yeah, Ben Davis just a little wheel route right there and he was open the whole time. I think just a little bit too much mustard for him to handle, but I think we should see that play again. Probably the the gloves just haven’t gotten broken in yet. You know, first game of the season. Maybe just need a little stickum on those gloves. But it is quite warm here at game time. It is I’m showing 87 degrees. Feels like 97 and it’s probably even warmer in that warmer than that down there on the turf. Yeah. Yeah. Matt Watson, number 34, the sophomore, uh, just entered the game. Looks like he’s coming in at tight end. Lightning spread him out this time. Let’s see if Black tries to keep it again. He will. At the right side, stacked up there by number six for the Parrots. I’m sorry for Parrot Academy. That is Brody Kusk. Kuski. Kusk. Kusk. Yeah, we’ll go with Kusk. Yeah. Uh Kusk. Uh he was a big defensive guy last year for the team. He had 82 tackles and two sacks. So, he’s a guy we need to pay attention to. And I believe a timeout is called. I didn’t see who called it. I think it’s probably the Lightning as they’re going to try to go for it here on fourth and goal. So, we will take a break and have our first commercial ad of the season. Thank you for tuning in to the ECS Athletics YouTube channel. We will be right back. Veritoss Financial Partners, your partner in financial clarity. With decades of experience, they offer one coordinated plan for your investments, tax smart planning, business, and legacy. At Veraritoss, it all starts with a conversation and ends with a strategy tailored just for you. Veritoss Financial Partners, your partner in financial clarity. Contact them at 2055981781. All right, and we’re back at the Lightning are going forward on fourth and goal. First fourth down attempt of the season for the Lightning. And in the back field again with Eli Black as Ben Davis and Trey Hope split wide to the left. Black rolling left. Is he going to try to keep it? He is. And he will be stopped short of the goal line. And he gets up a little slow. I think that’s maybe just a bit of frustration there and maybe some tiredness. Yeah, it was a it took a little bit for that play to develop and uh big number 10 for the Patriots. Brooks Grady uh just tracked him down. Eli tried to truck him there at the end, but uh Grady with a good tackle. He had 90 tackles last year. So, it doesn’t surprise me he was able to see uh get his eyes on Eli and bring him down right at the one. So, the Patriots will start deep in their territory again. A Rendle Parrot Academy out of Kinston, North Carolina. This is the second time these two teams have met. They’ve met a year ago here at the Blackburg Black Bear Brawl in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Tall sweep, dangerous play coming out of the end zone. He busts it and gets to the corner. It’s going to be a foot race down the sideline. That is number seven Braxton Loftton Meyers and tripped up. I believe that was that Ben Davis that stopped him. Yep. Yeah, we had great penetration getting through there. Eli Black almost had him for a safety, but he just busted it outside. Uh great job by Kase running him down. This is a high-powered offense. Last year after they played us, they averaged 52 points a game and they have a stud at quarterback, uh Christopher Stimson, uh we got to keep an eye on. Stimson completed about 58% of his passes last season for over 1300 yards for the Patriots as they go with two wides and a tight end to the top of the formation. Loftton Meyers dots the eye in the backfield. A little pistol formation. The lefty slings it down the middle of the field and wide open as Ben Davis slipped or fell down in coverage and two plays 99 yards and the Patriots are on the board first. Yeah, that that’s just unfortunate right there. Case was with him step for step and like you said just stumbled on this uh turf out here. Made a little difficult and uh it was just simple catch and throw at that point. So, the Patriots will go for two. Little Wildcat action this time as Loftton Meyers will take the snap directly and just run behind his blocking backs, but he stopped in the back field for no gain and probably a loss on that two-point conversion. Yeah. Uh, number 53, Jack Nven. And look like Jackson Lden were in on that tackle to prevent that. So that’s a a good stop for our Evangel Lightning uh after a tough two plays for 99 yards. Yeah, Nibbons and Lowden, two guys that got to play a pretty good bit last year, but this is their first year starting and they will be asked to fill some big shoes that left as the Lightning graduated 16 seniors or sorry 17 seniors off of last year’s squad that again won the ACSC title for the third straight year. Then uh this um Arendelle, is that how we’re pronouncing it? A Rendle. A Rendle. Wow. I was way off. I did that same thing. Yeah, they are they’re a tough team. Like you said earlier, they won 10 straight after that game with us last year and lost a very close game uh in their uh conference championship. Uh we’re going to have to stay on our toes and like I said, we got a lot of young guys out there. Hopefully, we kind of got those first quarter jitters out right here and uh we’re ready to play as they get ready to receive the ball. They fake a little sugar huddle there on the kickoff. And now they line up in a more traditional kickoff formation. And it is an onside kick. It’s taking a nice bounce to number seven for the Lightning. That’s David Johnson wearing number seven this year, not number 27 as he wore last year. taking Will Welch’s number, who was one of those seniors that graduated. Yeah. So, with 603 uh to play, let’s see if we can start out how we we had a great uh start to the opening series of the big pass to Case down the sideline. I’d like to see us open that back up again. Yeah. Curious how they do it in Tennessee if we’ll have a a heat timeout halfway through the first period. Maybe after the first play from scrimmage here on this drive for the Lightning as pop pass to Ben Davis. Nice tackle in the open field there. That’s that man Loftton Meyers again number seven. Yeah, this Patriot defense is very quick. They get to the ball. They swarm a bunch of guys to the team. Uh so we’re really going to have to start matching them step for step. The Patriots have a roster with 11 seniors on it to the Lightning seven this year. Again, a team that went 10 and two last year were the Patriots. Just like the Lightning, Lightning take their time. Bring a man in motion is Trey Hope. Black’s going to keep it. He’ll have a short gain on the right side. Yeah. Number 23 for them. If I get my notes right here, uh that is Cole Watson coming off the corner to take Eli down for a third and short for our Evangel who is actually calling the plays this year as Hagen Joiner has stepped aside to handle or spend more time with his young family. And now coach Smith calls a play to go deep and he just throws up a 50/50 ball and it’s incomplete as it looked like Trey Hope might have had an edge on the defender a little bit there, but he wasn’t quite able to bring it down. Yeah, I think Eli held on to the ball just a little too long and threw it off his back foot like it hung up there it seemed like for two minutes. uh and uh just out of the reach of the hands. That could have been a dangerous play, but it shows that our receivers are able to get open on this 101 coverage that the Patriots team has. And now this Patriots team is tough. Again, after our first game, they held uh their uh opponents 20 points or less per game. So, we have to find a way to put some points on the board. Looks like they’re running a two4 defense, two down lineman or maybe a 23. It’s almost like they have four defensive backs in the game. Pass. There it is. Wide open. First down for the Lightning as Ben Davis as a defender tries to strip it and he does a good job to hang on there. 45 yd line. First down for the Lightning. Yeah, just a nice little stop right there. Stop route for uh Davis and after the catch gets an additional five yards. Hey, we’ll take those nickel and dime plays every single time. They’re really playing us cushion on the defense. So, those plays are open for us right now. Yeah, as I was saying, the coach Smith’s first year calling the plays in, I believe, nine years now. Wow. So, not that he doesn’t have experience with it, but he’s doing a nice job so far as he got the Lightning to march down the field on the first drive as a little uh sweep play to the left side this time. gets a nice gain of about seven yardds and brings up second and short. Yeah, Isaac Griffin with a great end around there. I was hoping Trey Hope could get out in front of him for a lead block. He was a step or two behind, but Griffith with a great job getting some extra yardage right there. Makes it for a good uh second and short. Really opens up the playbook right here. Isaac Griffin, another one of those young guys for the Lightning. Played exclusively on the on the junior varsity last year, I believe. So he’s had a couple of touches already here in the early going as the Lightning go unbalanced this time to the bottom of the formation. Doing a little stemming on the defensive line as Par the Patriots and that’s going to be maybe a yard bring up third and one as Griffin got a tough yard right there. Yeah, number seven uh for the Patriots Braxton Loftton Myers. He’s causing trouble on both sides of the field. Uh he got past that block real easy uh to make it difficult for us, preventing us from getting that first down, but it’s third and short. And uh let’s see what the Lightning can do right here on this uh this hot evening. Indeed. I was listening to Coach Smith and Coach Clay Romano, the defensive coordinator, talk to the team before the game and they were saying, you know, you young guys got to get ready because there’s some guys that are playing both ways for the line. Again, Griffith trying to go north to south and end up having to go east and west. Uh, and loss of about two yards. Uh, looks like we’re going for it here. So, some early excitement in this game. Lightning definitely dominating the time of possession here in the first quarter. But they find themselves in a six to nothing hole as I believe we did last year. Didn’t we? Didn’t the Patriots score first last year as well? Black the throw. Black going to run for it. Got the first down. Out of bounds inside the 30. Great job Black hitting that corner. Number two, Tanner Outlaw uh for the Patriots. Was going to try to come up and get in. Eli with the fake. Causes a stutter step. Gets around for the first down. Great football acuity right there. So, the Lightning continue to milk the clock. I would think the clock should start after they move the chains, but they are not starting it. So, oh, did he run out of bounds? He might have Yeah. Lightning go back to that unbalanced formation. Davis in motion and there’s a penalty flag thrown as a timeout. Trey Hope moves. Oh, no. They gave him a timeout. Good. I thought I saw Trey Hope at the bottom of the screen kind of step back a little bit and then stop. So, I guess if he’s going backwards, that’s okay. Anyway, the Lightning call timeout, so we’ll take a break with them and give you a word from our sponsors. You’re watching Lightning Football. We’ll be right back. Veraritoss Financial Partners. You’re My favorite part about media club is broadcasting the games. We learn how to do the audio video setup and producing a broadcast is a lot of fun. got to make the graphics for social media post and learn how to update the ECS athletics website. And we love Mr. Scott’s birthday cake. All right, so it’s first and 10 Lightning after the timeout. A minute 25 to go in the first quarter. Lightning losing six to nothing so far. Unbalanced formation to the top of the screen. There’s a pass in the flats complete to Ben Davis. And Davis still on his feet inside the 10. It’ll be first and goal again for the Lightning. That was a great little uh in my day we called that the naked bootleg. Everybody goes right. quarterback rolls out and Ben was right there. Nobody around him for a great great reception and run. Big play for the Lightnings. We’re now inside the 10. Ben Davis last year just a sophomore but was still third on the team in receiving behind seniors K Joiner and Will Welch. Yeah, Davis last year 16 catches for 309 yards. You can see early on he’s probably going to be the man in the receiving game for the Lightning this year. Yeah, you said Joiner and Welch, they combined for 65% of all our receptions last year. Under a minute to go. Handoff. Griffin can’t get out of the grasp of number 11 Mason Moing for the Patriots. Play loses a yard. Back to the 10. It’s still first or rather second and goal. It looks like it was a read option right there. And I think we probably could have held on to it, but yeah, number 11, Mason Mo, the senior, 5’10”, 204 pounds, came through the line to make a big stop. Um, last year, uh, he had 78 tackles for this Patriot. So, he’s already making a statement early in this game. Looks like the Lightning have not decided to try to run another play before the quarter ends. So, one quarter into the 2025 season, Lightning are trailing six to nothing. And we’ll be right back. You’re watching Lightning Football. With over 20 years of experience, Keystone Surfaces can make your natural stone dreams come true. They have accessible pricing and the staff is always working to make sure their clients are 100% happy with the final product. They work with granite, marble, quartz, quartzite, onyx, and soap stone. If you’re looking for exceptional quality for your next kitchen or bath project, give them a call today. 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Yeah, Griffith ran about 35 yards for about a three to four yard gain. It makes a difference on these big 100 yard fields. Uh 53 yards wide as compared to the 40 yards uh when we play at home. You can see the the game plan, Coach Smith, is to keep their offense off the field. Absolutely. A lot of running plays, dinking and duncan in the passing game. So far, it’s been effective. The Lightning just haven’t been able to punch it in the end zone. Let’s see what he draws up. Obvious territory as the Lightning don’t have much of a kicking game this season. Little counter action out of the back field with the quarterback Eli Black. He’s weaving and dodging his way to the end. He got very close. Yeah. They give him like the half yardd line. So, fourth and short upcoming for the first Lightning touchdown of the 2025 season. Yeah. So, Eli shucks to the left, shucks to the right, back to the left, back to the right, trying to find any opening and really stretches it out there. Looks like they put it right on the oneyd line. I think he got a little closer. Uh but I’m not right on top of it. So it is what what down is this? Fourth. Oh, fourth and goal. Oh yeah. So they actually spotted at the one right at the one. So this is going to be an interesting call. Does he go back to the ground game or does he try to He’s up under center. Yeah. First time under center for black. Center exchange is good. Stood up at the line, but he punches it in as he uh has some second effort and gets over the right guard area for a lightning touchdown. Yeah, exciting touchdown. Six points for us as they try to do a tush push. It didn’t really go anywhere and uh Eli had to bounce to the outside to the right, extended his arms in there. Lost video. So that means our transmitter is down. So, I’m gonna go downstairs and see if I can help Wes figure that out. And you’re you’re going to do radio announcing. All right. I’ll be right back. All right. Thanks for sticking with us. Uh, as Scott said, uh, we’re not relying too much on our kicking game right here. Eli’s in the shotgun formation. Looks like Max Watson is in there at the slot with Ben Davis. It’s a double reverse pass. Oh, he had the ball in his hands. Oh, Eli Black. He knows he had it right there. Little razledazzle early in this game. Um, boy, I wish we had the camera on for that one. There was a lot of hands touching the ball right there. It looks like it was going to be an end round. I didn’t see who passed the ball. Did you see who passed the ball right there, Kurt? Ben Davis with a great pass to Eli Black there uh in the corner of the end zone. Just in and out of the hands. Uh so that ties up our ball game. Six to six. 10:08 left to play uh in this second quarter. Boy, that first quarter flew by very quickly. Uh so this will be the first time we see our Evangel kickoff team. And I believe Nick Sanders is going to be the one kicking for our Lightning. Um last year we had a lot of uh onside kicks, pooch kicks, so I’m assuming it may not be too different this year, but I don’t know. I haven’t been there at practice. Welcome back, Scott. Looks like you got the the camera back on. I hate we missed that last play. I didn’t do anything. Wes did it all. Oh, good for Wesley. Yeah. So, we are back. I’m going to have to go back down there because the batteries are just too low. We’ve got to get uh some hardwired power to that transmitter down there. We’ll do that probably. Hopefully, we can make it to happen. Again, we’ve had a sort of a I think we’re just snake bit up here in in Gatlinburg. We had video issues last year here and once again this year we’re struggling as a little pooch kick into no man’s land in the air and gathered by Ben Davis, the the junior. That ball just hung up in the air. Uh Ben Barrett, a senior uh who had 38 catches last year for the Patriots, just let it bounce. And Ben Davis comes up with a big turnover for our Evangel Lightning football team. This is a little more reminiscent of last year. Pumps up, get a little bit of excitement down there on the sideline and in the stands. So the Lightning get the ball and and there’s just a a mental error there on the receiving team is you got to get that ball when it’s in the air. If you let it hit, you got to get on it. So, the Lightning in business at the 42 yd line of the Patriots as Coach Smith elects to go to the double wing this time. That’s going to be a false start. I think the center was a little slow to snap it as everybody on the Lightning front moved, but the ball didn’t. Everybody got the memo, but the the center, I think we got a young guy, uh, James Wolf, uh, Jr. uh, 61, 190 pounds, gets his first nod at center this year. Uh, and that’s going to happen from time to time. U, but so far there’s been good exchanges between between him and Eli so far. James Wolf, the son of coach Brian Wolf, who’s been with the program for a few years now as a little buck sweep action to Isaac Griffith out of the back field. Nice play there on first and long. Brings up I think he almost got back to the original line of scrimmage. Maybe second and 11 upcoming. Yeah, he was uh stutterstepping there deep, but I tell you what, number 34, young Max Watson. Great downfield blocking allowed him to get up field and not get a loss of down or loss of yards. So, we got a long second and looks like 11. Lightning showing a lot of formations here early. Coach Coach Smith said he wanted to make the Patriots think a little bit as another double wing look, but this time unbalanced. A little inside shuffle pass there. And breaking it back to the outside is Ben Davis. He is close to a lightning first down. Yeah, that little inside pitch to to Davis really kind of opened up down to the side. Number four, Nick Blair, a senior for the Patriots, brings him down, but I think it was so much that Ben may have slipped on this slippery turf uh that brought him down. So that gives us a first down for our Lightning. Yep, they do move the chains indeed. It’s first and 10 from the 31 of the Patriots. And the clock continues to run. They they are starting the clock. Oh, I said earlier he ran out of bounds. That’s why they didn’t start it. Oh, number four Sawyer Welch in the game at one of the wing backs in the double wing. Younger brother of Will Welch. Outstanding receiver that graduated last year. Nice looking play there on first down. Picks up three or four hard running yards there by the sophomore Isaac Griffith. Yeah, Griffith around the corner and Lil Sawyer number four pancakes his guy. That gives Griffith some room to run around the corner for a few extra yards. So, like you said, we’re taking our time on offense, keeping their defense out on the field as much as possible. Trey Hope the senior trots onto the field with the play in the huddle. I believe Eli Black will Oh, he’s been getting a spell on all of these plays actually as as uh Trey Hope is the double wing quarterback. Another unbalanced look by the Lightning. Hope’s going to take it himself off of left guard. That’s going to be a short gang bringing up third and mid-range for the Lightning. Yeah. Number 10, Brooks Grady. He had 90 tackles last year for the Patriots. In on the tackle with him again, number seven, we’re calling his name out a lot. Braxton Loftton Meyers, a senior, and I believe he’s a movein uh for the Patriots. I didn’t have any stats on him. So, uh he’s kind of like a secret uh secret player coming in uh making some big moves early. I see Max Watson and Nick Sanders are in there as your tight ends in the double wing. They’re getting a lot of lot of a break on defense. So, they’re playing some offense and coach Smith did say this was part of the game plan coming in. Little inside handoff misdirection out of the double wing doesn’t fool the Patriots this time as Griffith is dropped for no gain. Yeah, number two, Tanner Outlaw, the senior. Big guy, 61, 265 pounds. Was not fooled by the end of round with the inside handoff uh there. So, uh lost a little steam here, but uh it’s fourth in quite a ways. And here comes Eli Black back in the ball game. And he will go back to quarterback as they exit the double wing formation. Okay. Trey Hope splits out far to the right. Ben Davis in the slot looking for Davis. He’s not open. So Black is just going to run it. Can he make a man miss? Yes, he can. Close to the first down. He got it inside the 20. That’ll be enough to move the sticks. Yeah, I think Eli was looking for Ben Davis early as the uh receivers were going on the routes and he wasn’t quite open. He opened up a little later, but like I said, had some nice jukes uh over there to get a first down to keep this drive going and to keep this Patriot defense on the field. Five minutes and about 15 seconds to go here in the first half. All tied at six. And I think we are I don’t know, maybe I’m being optimistic, but I’m starting to see some of these youngans grow up really fast here in the first half. Fakes the hand off to Griffith. Spin move, gets a couple of yards before he’s brought down. Nice play in the back field by Cole Watson, number 23. He was the first man there. Yeah, Eli getting a lot of touches and rushes at the ball. Um, you had a great spin move. move. I think the guy just happened to be there and he spun right into him. Uh so as we wind down a little bit over four and a half minutes before this half is up, it is second and nine. Lightning taking their time on offense again. Eli Black first year starter at quarterback, but he’s played a lot of snaps. was the starting quarter on the junior varsity before moving up to the varsity. He fakes the handoff. Now he’s going to follow in behind the running back. Griffith cuts it back all the way across the field. One man to beat. Stiff arm. Touchdown Lightning. Eli Black. His legs are not tied right now. He started out to the left and had to cut back. and Jukes number 13 senior William Stinson who was a great defender last year for uh the Patriots. Uh so great job Eli getting around that last guy. I think it helps having the extended yardage on this 100yard field. So that puts our Lightning up 12-6. Let’s see if we can uh redeem ourselves on this two-point conversion. The Patriots have had the ball on offense for two plays this half. two plays. That’s amazing. All right. Uh sorry, I thought I had myself muted. Two-point conversion is no good. Sorry, we were being asked a question up here, but uh the Lightning, as I was saying, have dominated first half ball control here. Patriots go down and and score on on two plays after the Lightning drive all the way down the field to the oneyard line. The Patriots uh have a two-play score and then the Lightning milk the clock, come back down the field and score themselves to tie it up. The ensuing kickoff was muffed by the Patriots. The Lightning got it back again, marched down the field and despite a penalty, you know, a setback on that drive, they’re able to keep their composure, regroup, and march on into the end zone. Yeah. Our statician up here, Drake Holmes, uh, says we’ve recorded 15 minutes and 18 seconds of straight offensive f. Wow, that’s incredible. I don’t think I’ve seen that. And I didn’t have a chance to mention Drake Holmes is our statistician today. Thank you, Drake, for stepping up with those responsibilities. Kirk Stallings is your assistant producer running the streaming software and the scoreboard software. And Wesley Holmes, known to Lightning Faithful as Jack Frost, is running the camera for us and doing a fantastic job as number five for the Lightning. That is Nick Sanders kicks another high one. And this time the Patriots field it. Yeah, fair catch by the number three Ben Barrett. Uh the senior last year he had 35 catches for over 830 yards. So yeah, a lot of homes helping out. Not even the Twinkies. Jimmy and Marcus down there. It’s the water boys. And uh my wife is now the offensive coordinator. So apparently if you’re Holmes, you’re up here. No, we uh she’s she’s actually back in Birmingham helping out with the uh the orientation uh that Evangel had today. So we’re grateful for for all the volunteers to help out with Evangel as they come up to the line. She’s the CEO, right? That’s right. That is the truth. All right. Pistol formation for the for the Patriots as they try to get it going on offense. Throws it out there to that man you just mentioned, Barrett and he gets a first down right out the gate on this drive for the Patriots. Yeah, nice play action pace by Stimson right there. And I think it allowed Alex Martin to bite just a little bit for a big reception for a first down for the Patriots. Alex Martin, another one of those youngsters that’s getting his first start, a senior defensive back and wide receiver. saw a lot of playing time last year getting to make his the most of his opportunities. They stay in the pistol. Little counter play this time. He bounces it to the outside and there’s a hold. It’s going to be called on the receiver and this one should come back. It will. I believe the is that that number 13 the receiver for Parrot Academy William Stimson senior wide receiver and linebacker that even without that hold number seven Braxton Loftton Meyers uh a real threat uh to our defense had a big run right there got just outside again I think Alex Martin was held right there by number 13 uh Stimson I wonder if they’re brothers or cousins or something going on there with the the quarterback back. Is he the same running back that had so many yards on us in this game last year? It’s It’s possible. I didn’t I didn’t see that stat last year. I know. Uh look it up. They had a big guy. Oh, okay. He’s He actually transferred in. Yeah. Last year, uh Jaylen Solomon, uh their running back, uh he had 2400 yards rushing total for the uh Patriots last year. So, uh, he I hope he’s doing well somewhere else right now. Yeah, no doubt. So, the Patriots will stay in that pro set formation. Pistol backfield. Fakes the handoff. Looking deep. Got a man overthrown thankfully as Martin W was a step or two behind the receiver. Yeah, Stimson just got a step on Martin right there. Playa action pass and little post route. Uh nice spiral by number eight Stimson the senior just out of reach. Uh thankful for that one. Makes it for a second long. Yeah, I’m going to go out on a limb and say 13 and and uh quarterback number eight are brothers. Yeah, they probably have a lot of experience throwing in the backyard. Yeah, definitely on the same page. Yeah, well, actually not quite on the same page on that one. Counter play this time. Lightning finally bringing down after about a five yd gain is going to bring up third and three. Yeah, Caleb Woods, uh, the head man on that tackle and assisted by number nine, Eli Black, and I believe Jack Nven, number 53, who I know he had some injuries last year. Looking good on that defensive line as the Patriots take their time bringing the play in as we wind down to just over two minutes and 10 seconds in this first half. 42 Jackson Lden and 53 Nons. That’s Nibbons. Jack Nibbons are your defensive ends. Faking the handoff again. This time the curl route and that is dropped a little short on the pass was Stimson to Stimson. Yeah, I think we’ll be hearing that a lot this evening. Um, our linebackers doing a great job of reading the quarterback, not committing too soon. Soon as they saw it was dropped back, they dropped back into coverage. Uh, so great job being coached up down there. Believe that’s Max Watson. Uh, I have my notes here. Let’s see. Trey Hope and Eli Black are our linebackers that are in the game right now. Patriots spread us out. Run a little counter play and nobody’s home on the outside. Another big run for the Patriots. Yeah, the Patriots uh offense heavy to the right and they just came over to the weak side and uh Alex Martin did a good job getting off his block downfield, but that was that dangerous number seven, Braxton Loftton Meyers, a senior uh for the Patriots. So, the clock’s winding down. They’re going to try to punch it in before halftime. Let’s see if this Lightning defense can hold up as Caleb Woods leads up in those nose guard position. Yeah, the linebackers have got to see those those uh linemen pulling and know this is counterplay and they’re going to try to bounce that to the outside. Nobody out there that time to defend for the Lightning. Two tight end look this time by the Patriots. Tall sweep as Stimson comes from under center. hit in the back field by Jackson Lden, I believe. Number 34. No, sorry, that’s Max Watson. 34, not 42. Who’s number 13 out there for us? I don’t That is um We need to ask Coach Joiner. All right. Well, whoever we’ll get that name. He did a great job of bringing that play back inside. Allowed Eli Black for a heck of a hit uh to prevent them from getting up field. So, it’s second 11. Oh, we have eight. Case in Venable wearing number 13 today. Not number eight on our roster. So, we’re a little confused as pass is thrown over the middle and strong hands there by number two for the Patriots. That is Cooper Coleman, a senior. Yeah, Cooper a big guy. One of their main guys on defense. uh doesn’t have many stats for offense for last year, but good hands. Actually, I think that was Tanner Outlaw according to Max. Oh, I’m sorry. I pointed at the wrong guy. That’s all right. Tanner Outlaw. Another senior though again. 11 seniors on this Patriot roster. Let’s see our defense hold them right here for this two-point conversion. All tied with 21 seconds. bobble the snap and he’s hit in the back field by Venibals. Yeah, great job rush off the side. Uh as we now have Case and Venable. Uh great job seeing that immediately take the quarterback down. Keeps us in the lead 10-2 like you said just 21 seconds left in this first half. a half dominated in ter in terms of time of possession by the Lightning, but you can see the explosiveness of the Patriots offense. Seems like they are trying to they know we play a lot of man out there on the on the corners and they’re kind of taking advantage of our young corners out there a little bit. Yeah, what they’re doing those receivers are taking some some deep routes, drawing us away from the play. Uh, and again, we have some young linebackers out there that are still learning uh to try to contain those plays, keep them inside. Uh, so I think we can adjust through that as the year goes on. Hopefully before the half is uh or this game is over, as the Patriots line up to kick off, hopefully just one more time before this half is over. I should mention our first half period sponsors while we’re waiting on this kickoff are base camp real estate and Noble Bank as the Patriots again fake the sugar huddle kick and go back to the standard kickoff formation. and a little squib kick bounces off the helmet of the face m sorry the face mask of the lightning player and it’s picked up by the Patriots and they’ve got the ball at our 36yd line with 17 seconds to go. Yeah, that is such a hard ball to try to field. Uh if you’ve ever tried to do it, it is not easy. Bounced right off our shoulder pads and number three Ben Barrett for the Patriots lands on that ball. I thought he could try to sneak one by and take it into the end zone, but uh his knee was down as a turnover. And uh the Patriots have the ball back with 17 seconds left at the 36 yd line. That was number seven David Johnson for the Lightning that wasn’t able to handle the squib kick. Big hole left side again and a stiff arm cut back. Lightning finally bring him down inside the 20 as Eli Black gets up favoring his hand a little bit there. Look like Jack Nons favoring his shoulder. I think that’s Jack. Is that 53? Yeah, Max Watson the linebacker tried to do good job of trying to contain him back inside, but a great run. Oh, who was that? Oh, 59. James Wolf holds his shoulder down there. So, we hope he’s okay. So, we’ll take a quick break in the timeout and be right back. You’re watching Lightning Football. There’s no oneizefits-all when it comes to planning for your future. Chandler Financial Group understands that your financial goals are unique and your needs are going to change at various stages of your life. With over 28 years of experience in financial services, they can help you tailor a financial plan that meets your unique needs. Call Chandler Financial Group today at 205-620-9499 to schedule your free initial consultation. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Mosaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA, SIBC. Mosaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products, or services referenced here are independent of Mosaic Wealth. All right, final seven seconds here as the Patriots are trying to punch it in for a late score in the second half. In the first half, they fake it. Throw into the end zone. Got a man. Lightning going to have to bring that big man down. They can’t. He fumbled into the end zone. They’re going to say he was down at the one and time has expired. A break for the Lightning. Yeah, a big break right there is number two Tanner Outlaw. tough guy to try to bring down and he got wide open in the flats uh over there. So, boy, this is a grind in this first half. 10 to 12. What are your first thoughts here, Scott? Well, we can see why coach Smith wants to keep this offense off the field and he’s doing a really good job of it, but the problem is when they do get on the field, they’re taking it right down and scoring. So, we’re definitely going to have to um figure out how to slow them down, especially on the perimeter. That seems to be where they’re attacking the most. They’re not running it right up right up the gut at it very much. Right up the gut at us, rather. Yeah. Then they’re mixing it up a little bit with the runs and the uh the passes again. We saw early Braxton Loft Myers, number seven, giving us a lot of trouble on the edges. And then right there, the last two possessions, Tanner Outlaw uh made some noise for the Patriots with two big receptions. Thankfully that ball was stripped out or they said he was down at the one and wasn’t able to get in there for a final score before the half was out. Tanner Outlaw’s only 61 265 according to Max Preps. So let’s see. I think we have six guys up in this booth. We might could take him down. Yeah, that u that was a a large feat there to keep him out of the end zone right there before the half. So we will keep it here and watch the cheerleaders perform. believe both the Parrot Academy Patriots and the Lightning cheerleaders will be performing. So, we will let you watch that and I’ll go try to work on a couple technical issues before the second half starts and we’ll be back in a few minutes. Enhanced Dentl is redefining the dental experience by helping you achieve and maintain comprehensive dental wellness. Dr. Morris and his staff are highly skilled and trained in several areas of dentistry, including preventative and general dentistry, root canals, dental implants, and cosmetic dentistry. They pride themselves on providing painless dentistry with a focus on aesthetics and helping you maintain a healthy smile for life. Contact Enhanced Dental today to schedule your appointment and experience extraordinary dental care. Strike Lightning. Healthy Harvey’s and Pelum, Shelby County’s original premier health and wellness shop since 1978. Stop by for natural foods, vitamins, herbs, weight loss products, CBD, and so much more. Thank you for shopping local, and thank you for shopping healthy Harvey’s. Team Massie Properties has 44 years of real estate knowledge and experience serving the real estate needs of Shelby, Jefferson, Chilton, and surrounding counties. Offering aggressive marketing strategies to position your property for the sale in an everchanging real estate market, commercial, residential, investment, land, and farm real estate services. Call or text Matt Massie for all of your real estate needs. Let’s go Lightning. Window windows 205 is a local residential home window replacement company. 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Yeah, it’s uh it’s great up here. I mean, just the facility and obviously being in the mountains here in in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg has been so nice and fun. Um and yes, so Ginston, North Carolina is about 240 mi east of Charlotte and that’s about 400 miles here to Gatlinburg. So like a Lightning, they had quite a trip uh to get here as well. It’s always fun to come up here for these football tournaments to see all teams from around the country. And uh we’re getting ready to get back started. Like I said, that was a shorter kind of halftime. I looked at the the weather and I mean there’s some weather about 7,500 miles south and north of us. Uh but uh they may just want to be safe than sorry to try to get this game in. Just realized my microphone was turned way down. I don’t know how that happened, but well, we we did have a listener, um, John Kits. Y’all may name John. Uh, but, uh, John Kit said it was it was a little tough to hear, but I had to give John a hard time. John’s an old guy, so I told him just turn up his his TV or his laptop. So, hopefully John, if you’re you’re listening, you can hear us a little bit better now, buddy. All right, so the Lightning will kick to start the second half. If you recall, they received the opening kick. It looks like Nick Sanders will handle the kicking duties again for the Lightning. As they line up, that dangerous number seven is back to receive. And hopefully, we’re not going to kick to that guy. This this might just wind up being a test of who’s in the best shape early, right, in this 2025 season. on sidekick. Nice hop right into the hands of zero Zok Fanning. Yeah, I did a double take on that when I was looking at the stats. I don’t see many zeros out there in football. Last year he was number 84. He had 38 tackles and four sacks on the season. So, good star player there for the Patriots. As we start this, uh second half, uh your Evangel Lightning up 12-10. Coach Smith, smart move not to kick it deep to 12. I’m sorry. Not to keep kick it deep to the speedy Braxton Loftton Meyers, but it gives the Patriots great field position. I mean, it’s always a dangerous dangerous task kicking off on a 100 yard field, 53 and a half yards wide with only eight men to cover the area. Playaction pass on first down. man open and overthrown as number 10 for the Lightning Alex Martin again just losing a step in coverage. Yeah, play action pass to the fullback right there. Great job by the Patriot line blocking our defensive line uh and just overthrew number three Ben Barrett the senior the tall senior 61 170 p 70 pounds. So I think his legs are just a little bit longer than Alex Martin out there. So he may have to play a little bit more cushion. Alex is listed at six foot. So the youngster is getting well he’s not a youngster, he’s a senior now, but youngster in terms of playing time as the Patriots go two tight ends this time. This time they do test the middle. We said earlier in the game they haven’t been running it up the middle very much, but that play right up the middle for about seven or eight yards on first down. They give him seven. It’ll bring third down and three upcoming. Yeah, their O line is double teaming Caleb Woods right now, making it tough for him and kind of opening some holes for their backs to get through. So, our linebackers are having to bring down some of these big backs that the Patriots have. Ball on the 45 yd line. Parrot Academy stays in two tight ends. Lightning with four down linemen. Tall sweep to the left side. Good job out there by Jackson Lowden to cut it back in, but Braxton Loftton Meyers is going to be close to a first down and they give it to him. Yeah, Lowden doing a job with the defensive end supposed to do not allow him to get outside, bring it to the inside. And I believe 34 the young guy Max Watson with a hard hit out of bounds, but it still allows the Patriots for a first down. as Eli McDonald comes in to replace Caleb Woods. Eli’s a senior. They have him down at 61, 250. Um, yeah, it’s tough when you’re getting double teamed out there. Let’s get a fresh pair of legs. They stay in the two tights. The Lightning stay with the four down lineman. pass play. Heavy pressure. Eli Black misses him, but not the second man. Down he goes. That’s Jackson Lden with the big sack for the Lightning. Eli Black shot out through a cannon uh right there causing trouble for Stimson. And then here comes number 42 Jackson Lden with a great sack. First sack of the year for our Lightning. Uh hopefully it takes some of the air out of their balloon as they have a second and long coming up here with 944 942 in this first quarter. If they wind up not not converting on this drive, that’s going to be a huge play. Absolutely. Possibly in the outcome of the game. Yeah. Ben Black having to rush over had a little confusion on the defensive assignments. Handoff going nowhere this time as the Lightning defense stiffens and it’s going to bring up third and long for the Patriots. Yeah, number seven Braxton Loftton Meyers. A very rare loss of yardage right there, but it look like the whole Lightning defense was in on that tackle. Uh the last one to get up, who I’m guessing was at the bottom of that pile. Looks like number 53 Jack Nven making some noise on that play right there. But great job by our defense seeing the handoff and swarming to the ball. Eli McDonald still in there at nose guard replacing Caleb Woods to get some water and a breather over there on the sideline. Yeah, we talked about the Lightning needing to make some adjustments on defense at halftime because we really haven’t been able to stop the Patriots so far and this opening drive is looking pretty good so far. Screen play. They get it to that man number seven. He’s got some running room to the outside. He’s pulled down from behind by Eli Black. Fourth and long now upcoming. Yeah, Max Watson was kind of left all by himself there with four guys getting ready to block him. And then Eli Black again with some quick legs bringing him down. That could have been a very dangerous play for our Lightning defense. But excellent job, great speed, great hustle as Eli McDonald comes out of the game. And who came in? I can’t see who that is. 59. That might be James Wolf. It is. Yep. James Wolf now in at nose guard. Good job seeing the guys uh in and out. Get some breaks and breathers. So, it’s a long fourth down for the Patriots as they are going for it here on the 44 yd line. This is interesting. I’m not sure. Yeah, they are going for it. It’s just a deep shotgun. Maybe this little quick kick they’re going to do here. And actually, Coach Romano wants a timeout. Yeah, Braxton number seven, that threat, he had a one-on-one over there with Alex Martin. So, they want to may want to look at as a double coverage over there. Uh, because that’s a dangerous combination with number seven out there all by himself. We’ll take a break and be right back. You’re watching Lightning Football. My favorite part about media club is broadcasting the games. We learn how to do With over 20 years of experience, Keystone Surfaces can make your natural stone dreams come true. They have accessible pricing, and the staff is always working to make sure their clients are 100% happy with the final product. They work with granite, marble, quartz, quartzite, onyx, and soap stone. If you’re looking for exceptional quality for your next kitchen or bath project, give them a call today. So, fourth and long upcoming now. It looks like Simpson might be in more of a traditional punt formation. I don’t think we know. Looks like his little rugby style punt. He’s going to go for it. There’s a flag thrown. Might be a hold out there. Great job, Trey Hope seeing that it wasn’t a punt. Comes up, makes a hard hit on number eight Stimson. a little slow to get up. Looks like Trey Hope there. They’re pulling him up, limping as he comes off the sideline. Maybe just a cramp. Let’s hope that’s all that it is. Get some water in him. Yep. He’s bringing one of the water boys. Yep. Just trying to, you know, this is Trey Trey’s a senior. Tremendous athlete. Has not played much football. I know he hasn’t played any varsity football for the Lightning, so he’s been playing baseball and he’s, like I said, he’s a tremendous athlete. That’s why he’s out there starting. Yes. But, uh, you know, football’s a different game, you know, than than baseball. So, it takes a little getting used to in terms of the the conditioning aspect. Lightning now come out with three wide receivers. Griffith in the back field with Eli Black who wants to throw it on first down. A little stop and go in the slot, but pass is low to That’s uh number That’s venable. Yeah. Yeah. Nice little stop route for Kase. They played it well. Um number two for them. Uh Tanner Outlaw really was in that passing lane and there wasn’t a lot that Eli Black could do, so he just kind of threw it in the ground to avoid a sack. So 719 to go. Lightning looking at second and 10 from their own 37. Unbalanced look this time. Little sweep action and hit is Griffith by number two Tanner Outlaw the big senior. Yeah, Tanner Outlaw with a big first hit and then Brooks Grady comes in, levels him. Big guy, 6′ 215. Uh, puts a hard hit on Griffith. He stays in the game. It’s going to be a third and long for our offense. Really hasn’t done anything these first two plays. Kind of kept it tight in between the lines. So, let’s see if they open it up right here. Yeah, the offense today has done a good job of staying ahead of the sticks. This is one of the third or fourth and longs we’ve seen all afternoon. High snap. Black pulls it down in a lot of trouble trying to get it out to Davis. Incomplete. Fortunate just to get away with an incompletion there as it brings up fourth and long. And the Lightning probably looking at their first punting situation. Yeah. Number 11 Mason Moing shot through the gap on a blitz. Uh he had um a big blitz right there to call for almost a sack, but Eli got rid of it well right there. and Ben C or not Ben Kase uh Ben Davis almost had the catch right there. Uh but that was just a tough three and out for our offense. So let’s see what we do right here on fourth down as looks like Trey Hope lined up in the shotgun. It’s going to be a quick punt. I think we’re trying to draw him off sides. That is a legal shift made by the line there. It is going to be a punt. It’s away and Braxton Loftton Smith is going to let it drop. Sorry, Loftton Meyers. Great punt all the way down to the 23 24 yd line. Yep. Kind of flips the field back on them. So 622 to go. Both offenses coming up empty on their first drives of the second half. So apparently both defensive coordinators making the necessary adjustments. We’ll see how the chess match plays out going forward. Caleb Woods back in there and nose guard on defense. Looks like our starting eight from the beginning are still in there and having some good adjustments. So let’s hope they can keep that momentum moving forward. Handoff. Boom. Hit at the line of scrimmage is Loftton Meyers and going nowhere on first down. Looks like Eli Black was one of the first guys in there along with Caleb Woods. Again, a no gain for number seven. Could be a little bit of fatigue out there, but our defense has certainly made the right adjustments. We haven’t really seen them try the outside much this second half. That’s That’s where they had success running the ball in the first half. A lot of counter action that I don’t think we’ve seen so far here in the second. Stanza, fakes the handoff. Little curl route to the outside. Alex Martin is there to knock him out of bounds short of the first down, I believe. Yeah, good little quick pass right there for the Patriots. Stensson um didn’t take a lot of time getting the ball out to the perimeter, but we were there. Makes it for a third and short. That’s where defense needs to tighten up uh and make sure that they don’t get another yard. And as we’ve seen before, the Patriots taking their time keeping our defense out on the field for a little extra time. Yeah, the Patriots are taking their time, maybe taking a play out of Coach Smith’s playbook, trying to slow the game down a little bit. Loftton Myers hit again at the line of scrimmage. Short gain. Did he get the first down? I don’t think he did. Let’s see where they’re going to mark it. They’re flipping that number four over. So, great job by the defense. Stood him up at the line. He kept moving his feet. Uh, so let’s see if uh if I’m playing a Nintendo 64. I’m doing an allout blitz here, but I don’t know. Do they still make the Nintendo 64, Drake? I got a big no on that. So, I’m a little few years behind. Caleb Wood substituted out. I didn’t see who went in. Did you see who went in, Scott? Might have been Eli McDonald. Okay. No, that’s actually uh 54 W Chandler. Another senior ref’s talking something over in the middle of the field. They’re giving them the first down. Oh, wow. Okay. I knew it was close. Yeah, guess the White Hat said no measurement required. Patriots back in the pro formation. There’s the trap or counterplay to Loftton Meyers. And as we said, coach Klay Romano has Is that a fumble? Looks like a fumble. Eli Black comes up with it. The refs aren’t making a signal yet. They’re they need to say either is second down or Yeah, they’re saying his forward progress was stopped. Yeah, good penetration right there by our defense. I saw Max Watson getting in there and Eli Black came out with the ball, but uh we’re doing a great job of getting in the trenches and pushing their line back on their heels. Yeah, the ball might have come out late there, but his forward progress was stopped. So, I’d say that’s a good good call by the officials. So, second and 11 pitch route to the right side and nice running there as the Lightning can’t bring him down without him getting almost eight yards on second down. So, Trey Hope is again pulling up with a cramp. Yeah, quick little route out to the edge. Um, and it looked like we just didn’t have anybody out there playing a big cushion. Uh, gave them some running room for another Patriot first down as we’re going to have a I don’t know if we’re going to call it a an injury timeout, but at least a heavy cramp out there on number two, Trey Hope. Somebody get that man a pickle. All right, while they’re tending to Trey, we’ll take a break and hear a word from our sponsors. We’ll be right back. You’re watching Lightning Football. Recognized by Best of Birmingham 2019 by Birmingham Magazine, Driscoll Grey is a full-ervice wealth management team. They specialize in retirement planning, wealth buildinging strategies, and estate planning. Their firm has been serving clients for well over 25 years. Call them today at 205-383-4227 to get your free no obligation plan today. Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial member FINRA SIPC. Are you looking to buy, sell, or invest? Call Mandy Welch with Exit Realy Kahaba. Not only is she an active licensed agent in Alabama, but she has been investing in flipping homes for over 15 years. Call her today so she can help you navigate through the current market. Mandy Welch 334 3159720 after the injury timeout. It’s first and 10 for the Patriots. Fake the dive. Handed to the deep back. He gets past the first level of defenders and he’s off to the races. Alex Martin. The only man that can beat him. He brings him down with a help with the help of some Lightning defenders at just outside the 10yd line. My goodness. Yeah, we just over pursued. I don’t know if that was a blitz uh but we just over pursued and he saw a seam, got through there. That was uh number 10 Brooks Grady on the run uh around the edge. Nope, I’m sorry. That number seven Braxton Loft Myers with a big run. Comes up a little slow. They’re going to substitute him out with number uh eight. Looks like the quarterback may have been out on that because that’s uh Stimson number eight for them. Yeah, Loftton Myers is down on the sideline kind of came down awkwardly as he was pulled down from behind and Stimson will go under center as Patriots go back into the two tight look. Can’t tell who that is at tailback for Parrot Academy on this one. They hand it off dive up the middle. Some running room and a touchdown. That is number 11 Mason Moing. But there is a flag down. Yeah, Mason Moing with 47 rushes last year for 473 yards. So, he averages about 10 yards a carry. See what the call is. Yeah, flag thrown by the umpire. So, that usually means it’s a hold. 12. Again, a fortunate break right there for the Lightning. Uh the big holding call against the Patriots as we’re tied up 1212 with just 2:30 left in this third quarter. We said it would be a probably be a battle for who’s the best conditioned and looks like the lightning might be starting to wear down as we’ve seen some missed tackles and some cramping. Boom. That time not a missed tackle. Not at all as Eli Black comes out of there there with the ball. But again, the forward progress was stopped. I couldn’t see who the big hit was first. I don’t know if that was Max 59 is back in there. That’s Wolf. Uh, whomever it was. Great hit right at the line of scrimmage. Man, my bones hurt watching it. So, second down and 16 upcoming if my math is correct. And the clock is winded down. Staying in two tight ends. Loftton Meyer still on the sideline trying to stretch out. Fake the handoff. Stimson under pressure. Eli Black takes him down. Eli Black comes right up the middle. slams number eight Stimson. And uh as we saw last year, Stimpson not able to evade the rush and really hasn’t been able to do that uh tonight. So, that’s been to our advantage. He had that number two, I believe Tanner Outlaw open over the middle. Uh but a great job getting pressure on that quarterback. And that’s what we’ve been need to do it all night is get pressure on it. But he’s been so quick to release the ball on his passes. Well, just a fantastic awareness by coach Romano. They’ve been hitting the out, you know, the perimeter with the passing game and then the deep passes. They’re not throwing it in the linebacker area. So, we might have just said, Eli, if he drops back to pass, you go get him because they’re not throwing it in your area. As we see Braxton Loftton Myers back in the game. Fake the handoff. Stimson again across the middle. Almost intercepted as Ben Davis was there in coverage. Yeah, it looks like Max Watson may have gotten his hand on Stimson’s arm as he threw it to make him underthrow that ball. Brings up a fourth and we’ll call that Kansas City uh with just 11 seconds left in this third in this third quarter ball on the 25. They’ve got to get to the one because they can technically get a first down without scoring. So, Let’s see what you got in the the playbook. If you’re head coach Beaman trying to hook and ladder, but the ball is behind the receiver out there. Loftton Myers was back in the game. It looked like he was going to be the recipient of the hook and ladder. Thankfully, Stimson a little off the mark. Yeah, Stson looked like I don’t know if he was off balance or threw it off his back foot, but um just a errant throw. So that’s a big turnover for our Lightning to gain control back of this game with just 8 seconds left in this third quarter. We’ll get at least one playoff. Yeah, Lightning taking their time. Huddled up on the sideline now running out. Trey Hope back in the game. Hopefully got him all stretched out and ready to go. Lightning go tight end to the top of the screen. Ben Davis in the slot. Plenty of time for Black. He heaves it deep. Ben Davis is out there by himself, but the man reaches. Oh, he somehow took it away. Loftton Meyers was out there in coverage, but Ben Davis said, “That one’s mine.” Yeah, two big guys for the Patriots. Loftton Meyers, number 13, William Stimson, who Stinson had four interceptions last year. Eli Black heaves that ball to the moon. Somehow Davis comes down with it and I got to give a lot of credit to um our uh upback with a great block that prevented a big sack or at least it allowed Eli to step into that throw. Um, so that’s the end of the first quarter. We will take a break and be right back. You’re watching Lightning Football. Enhanced Dentl is redefining the dental experience by helping you achieve and maintain comprehensive dental wellness. Dr. Morris and his staff are highly skilled and trained in several areas of dentistry, including preventative and general dentistry, root canals, dental implants, and cosmetic dentistry. They pride themselves on providing painless dentistry with a focus on aesthetics and helping you maintain a healthy smile for life. Contact Enhanced Dentl today to schedule your appointment and experience extraordinary dental care. Strike lightning. Healthy Harvey’s and Pelum, Shelby County’s original premier health and wellness shop since 1978. Stop by for natural foods, vitamins, herbs, weight loss products, CBD, and so much more. Thank you for shopping local and thank you for shopping Healthy Harvey’s. Here we go. Start of the fourth quarter. Pass out complete. That is number five for the Lightning. Nick Sanders. Sorry, that was two, not five. Trey Hope back out there. Eight yd gain. Yeah, great laser throw by Eli Black there to Trey Hope. A lot different than that last throw that went into orbit, but uh that’s a great start to the fourth quarter. Correction, seven yardds on the catch. So, it brings up second and three. Good start to this Lightning drive after the turnover. Interception by Ben Davis. No, sorry, that wasn’t an interception. That was just a reception. Oh, goodness. Nowhere to go for Black this time. I think they might give him the line of scrimmage. Maybe. No, they actually give him a yard. So, third and two upcoming. Four down territory, no doubt. Number 10 for the Patriots was a big hit. Brooks Grady. Uh Eli Black just had nowhere to go. Tried to bounce it to the outside, but the Patriots were all there. All right, 10:40 in counting. Lightning nodded at 12 with the Parrot Academy Patriots from Kinston, North Carolina here in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Night has quite not not quite fallen. It’s dusk, I would say. Three receivers in the formation right up the middle. Two linebackers there. Only one for only one blocker for the Lightning. James Wolf couldn’t handle both of them. And that’s going to be no gain. Yeah, they just had two guys on the line of scrimmage right there. But tackle by number two, Tanner Outlaw, number six, Brody uh Kusk for the Patriots. It looked like we were going to have a big hole to run through. Yeah, they just closed it quick. Yeah, the guards kicked out those two defensive ends that stemmed at the last second. You would think there would be a hole there, but again, Good job by the linebackers to come up, fill the gaps quickly. Like I said, James Wolf couldn’t block both of them. Nick Sanders out here almost by himself on the near side. Faked the hand off this time. Black makes the first man miss, but he fumbled and the Patriots get it. So, is that the first Lightning turnover? It is the first lightning turnover. Yeah, it was a great run by Black. I think he just had the ball out to the side a little too far. They reached in there, popped it out. So, a turnover with 922 left in this game as the Patriots take the ball on their own 22 yd line. So, Black will take a break, not going right to his linebacker position. Zack Davis, number 24, a sophomore, is in the game. Otherwise, the original starting eight on defense. So, two tights again. Lightning with their 4-2 look to match up against the two tight formation. Fake the dive. Hand off. First man misses again for the Lightning. Off to the races. Alex Martin is going to run him out of bounds, but not before he gets a first down. Yeah, Loftton a dangerous guy. how he got through that first uh edge of the the line. But great job, Alex Martin, keeping him uh from busting it to the outside because he is dangerous once he gets off and running. So, we’ve got a good one for you folks as Eli Black comes back in replacing number 24 Zack Davis. We thought this might be a good one. Two well-matched teams. Staying in the two types. Let’s see if they go back to Nope. They hit the dive this time. Short gain. Max Watson with the big hit right there. That’s number 11. A little slow to get up. That’s Mason Morin, the senior. Big guy. 510 205. So great job Max Watson. Big strong hit with only a yard gain for the Patriots. Second and nine. Lightning defense playing pretty well. got to wrap up in that first initial contact. Let’s see here. Trey Hope, good job getting off the block there of the tight end and throws down Loftton Meyers as his helmet comes off. I believe he will have to leave the game for a play. Yeah, Trey Hope great job keeping him on the inside. So it allowed the team was like Max Watson and Jackson Lden in on that tackle as number seven his helmet comes off has to leave the game for at least one play and Eli Black is down on the sideline and initially that does not look good. So, Zach Davis back out there. Lightning with a 3-2 look now. Three defensive backs. Fake the handoff looking for Stimson across the middle in the post route. Just overthrown. Good job coverage by Alex Martin. Yeah, an uncharacteristic wobbly throw by Stimson to Stimson right there as that brings up uh fourth and nine as Stson goes over to coach, gets a new play. Uh great blocking by their offensive line. We had no penetration to put any pressure on him, which that’s when it makes him dangerous. So, clock stops. Fourth down coming up and is it fourth down? Yeah, fourth and nine. And they are do not appear to be in a punting formation and on their own 36yd line here as the Lightning call timeout. I think we were expecting a punt. So, Coach Smith has to burn a timeout to talk about it. We’ll be we’ll be right back. You’re watching Lightning Football. Locally owned and operated by the Bates family, Clanton Tractor and Equipment has been a K Cabota tractor dealer since 1988. Located in Clanton on Highway 31, just south of historic downtown Clinton, Steven Davis and Squirrels Plumbing provides residential and commercial plumbing services. Give them a call today for a free estimate. And remember, they are nuts about plumbing. Located in the 1022 tower right next to Shelby Baptist Hospital, Dermatologist of Birmingham has been serving all ages in the Shelby, Chilton, and Bib counties area for almost 20 years. From minor bumps to unexpected injuries, Southern Immediate Care is here with expert care when it matters most. If you aren’t feeling well, visit Southern Immediate Care in Helina from 8 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 7 days a week at 225 Helena Marketplace. We’re back for the final 7 minutes and 19 seconds as now after forcing the Lightning to call a timeout on fourth down. The Patriots line up in a more conventional punt formation. They go with that rugby style kick. This time they do not try to run it. They punt it away and it goes out of bounds inside the 40 of the Lightning. So, we’ll have good field position to start this next drive. All knotted at 12 with Parrot Academy. Yeah, you had a Stimpson back there punting. Right-handed thrower, left footed punter. You don’t see that often. Uh that looked a very very odd to me. Is he left-handed? He’s been throwing. Shows how much I’m paying attention. Yeah, he’s a he’s a southpaw. He can sling it. Not the greatest punt. So hopefully um we can flip this field and get some points on the board and take up a lot of clock as we’ve been doing all game long. Both offenses failing to reach the end zone so far here in the second half. Let’s see if the Lightning can put something together. Good to see Eli Black back out there. Quarterback just over the head of Ben Davis. Knew he had him. Yeah, great protection right there. The Patriots really not sending a lot of guys. Just two guys on the line. Ben Davis found a seam over the middle. The window lane was open but just out of reach right there. And I got to say, uh, kudos 59 James Wolf in there doing a great job at center. He been very consistent all game. He’s had one or two that have been high snaps but not have been out of control. Uh, so great job for the young guy out there, number 59, James Wolf. Not sure what’s going on with the video there. Anyway, it’s uh second and 10 upcoming after the incompletion. There’s a little sweep pass. Davis running for his life is good good pursuit by the Patriots defense. He can’t get back to the line of No, he did get back to the line of scrimmage. So, third and 10 upcoming for the Lightning. Yeah, good job on number seven Braxton Loft Myers keeping him contained as we tried to get outside of him. He pushed the ball back in and allowed for a no game after Davis ran about 50 yards. Correction, they do give him a yard. So, okay, a little bit easier as the clock runs down to six and a half minutes to play in the last game of the Black Bear Brawl here in Rocky Top Pitman Stadium. Lightning with three wides to the bottom of your screen. And now one that’s uh Sanders goes into tight end. Black throws it back to him and it’s intercepted. He was actually looking for Ben Davis. Kind of threw it off balance. Yeah. number 32 um with that name Silus Rouse a sophomore comes in with the interception. Uh so that’s a big turnover. It looked like he was a little off balance when he threw that. It was back across his body trying to get it to Ben Davis. Not a bad play call right there. Just uh tough break for the Lightning. Yeah, didn’t fool the Patriots at all. So two turnovers in the second half for the Lightning. Let’s see if the Patriots can capitalize on the latest miscue. Stimson slings it out to the right side. Bobbled a little bit, weaving his way back inside is number three, Bar Ben Barrett, the senior. Yeah, Barrett with uh 35 catches last year and over 800 yards. A go-to guy for them. Hadn’t seen too much from him tonight. Uh but that gives them five or six yards on that first down play. Now second down and five to go. Four to go. Stson chatting before the snap. Eye formation pro set to Stimson. He bobbles it and catches it and finds his way inside the 30 for a Patriots first down. Yeah, quick pass and go. He almost took his I think he did take his eyes off the ball and got fortunate that he landed back in his hands for a a game for a first down as the clock rolls on. Puts a little bit more pressure on this Lightning defense. Let’s see if we can kind of tighten up right here. Get some penetration into that quarterback. But they’re making these short passes. don’t give us a lot of time to get some pressure on him. They stay in the pro set. Just flip the formation. Tight end on the bottom of the formation this time as man goes in motion looking to the left side. Stimson all the way and he’s got it. Oh, he dropped it. Wow. That was Ben Barrett who had it flag out there it looks like right in his hands. I didn’t see anything. That’s Max Watson on the defense. Or maybe maybe I didn’t see that. Well, they’re coming to talk. Is it in that yellow end zone? It is. It’s like when you see the water moving, you think it’s a bass, but no, it’s not. I’m curious if he’s going to call interception on Max Watson because I did not see Max get a hand on him. Oh, interference. Yeah, the interference. Yeah, they call holding on the defense. I wonder. So, maybe he grabbed him as he ran by. Yeah. Or maybe it wasn’t called on Davis at all. Yeah, I don’t know about that. Well, that will result in a first and 10 from the Lightning 12 yd line. Actually, 17 yardd line, sorry. Stimson under heavy pressure. There’s the screen. Loftton Meyers back to the middle of the field. Touchdown Patriots. Yeah, great execution by the offense that had had our defense back on our heels. Loftton didn’t have to make too many moves u to weave through that defense for six points right there for the Patriots with 414 left in this game. Um we’re going to have to put something magical together to really uh kind of flip the flip the board. Big two-point conversion right here. You got to stop it. T formation. Wildcat. He wants to throw it and it’s intercepted by the Lightning. So, good job by the defense to hold because now if we can go down and score and get the two-point conversion, it’s probably ball game. Yeah, Braxton Meyer, Loftton Meyer just an all-around athlete as he rolls out to try to go for two right there. But a good stop by our defense as they didn’t let him get the extra two points. Gives us a a fighting chance as we roll on down here towards the end of the game. Yeah, I think the challenge for coach Smith, you know, from what I’m seeing so far in this opening game is um who’s your who’s your stud in the receiving game, right? You know, you’ve got you lost Will Welch and Kate Joiner from last year. Don’t get me wrong, Ben Davis is a good one. He made a lot of big plays and he’s he’s probably going to be the go-to guy, but really need one more guy to kind of compliment him in the passing game. At least one. Maybe that’s Trey Hope. But somebody’s got to step up because fake the sugar huddle again. We know that ball’s going to be bouncing up and down low. So, get our hands and get down. Squib kick. Nice bounce for the Lightning. Ben Davis, who we just talked about, makes the first guy miss and gets out close to midfield. So, good field position for the Lightning with a little over four minutes to go. Yeah, great job by Davis getting his hands on the ball, getting it almost past midfield. So that really opens up the playbook for Coach Smith and the Lightning down there. I’m excited to see what they’re going to pull out of the hats. So it’s gut check time, right? Both teams are tired. It’s hot out here. First game of the season. Who wants it more? That’s right. It’s a long trip back home either way, but boy, if you pull out the L, it’s even longer. Lightning spread them out here. as Griffith flanks Eli Black to the left side. Eli will keep it himself, weaving his way. He’s got plenty of turf to run on, but there might be a penalty. No, it’s not a penalty flag. Just a a referee down. And Eli Black goes all the way for the touchdown. And we’re tied. Great job. I know we’re giving credit to Eli Black, but great job by Griffith as a lead blocker that allowed Eli Eli Black to stutter step to the left and take it to the house. Oh, that’s a red flag. Oh, is there a flag on the field? I saw refine. Anyway, great job, Eli Black taking it all the way to the house. Hopefully, we didn’t score too quickly uh to give our defense a break. So, let’s take it easy going up to the line here, guys. Looks like Trey Hope and Eli Black coming on the field. I just saw Trey Hope walking out there. So, I was thinking maybe we were going with the double wing for this two-point conversion. Eli does take his time. The back judge hasn’t raised his hand just yet. There it is. 10 seconds. 5 seconds. Snap it. And there’s the flag. And that is huge. Yes. Two-point conversion to go ahead. And now it’s going to be Oh, I think we called timeout. Yeah, we got a timeout in there before the penalty was called, but I think that might be our last. I know it’s at least our second timeout this half. Yeah, I wonder if they’re going to keep their same set. That just allows their defense to see what’s coming. So, we’ll see if they change anything up or if they stay in that kind of wide spread position that our offense had. Max Watson being called in. So, then maybe going with that double wing back you talked about earlier. Unless Eli still in there. I didn’t see Eli come out of the game. Coach Smith needs his best play right here. It’s been difficult for both offenses to get into the end zone here in the second half. So, if you can punch it in here, that will inspire the defense to hold them out of the out of the end zone. Lightning go four wide this time. First time tonight. Eli Black alone in the back field. High snap. And he doesn’t get there. We’re still tied. Big hit from zero. That is Zadok Fanning. Yeah, really trying to spread the field right there. sent Davis in motion hoping to give Eli some north south room and he just wasn’t there as we have just under four minutes left in this game. We’ll be kicking off to the Patriots. Yeah, we’re going to take a quick break and be right back. Enhanced Dentl is redefining the dental experience by helping you achieve and maintain comprehensive dental wellness. Dr. Dr. Morris and his staff are highly skilled and trained in several areas of dentistry, including preventative and general dentistry, root canals, dental implants, and cosmetic dentistry. They pride themselves on providing painless dentistry with a focus on aesthetics and helping you maintain a healthy smile for life. Contact Enhanced Dentl today to schedule your appointment and experience extraordinary dental care. Strike Lightning. So, the Lightning to kick off all tied at 18 with Rendle Parrot Academy from Kinston, North Carolina. Nick Sanders, a high pooch kick. Fair catch called and fair catch made. So nice job by Sanders and the kickoff team as the Patriots will start at their own 32 yd line. Yeah, number three Ben Barrett, the senior with the fair catch right there as we see our Lightning go out to defense. Hopefully make a big play, big stop right here. I’ll take a turnover. Uh they don’t have a whole lot of time to do it in, but neither do the Patriots. So we’re going to see how both teams react to a little extra pressure. Indeed, the Lightning with two turnovers here in the second half. The Patriots with none. Somehow the the Lightning have managed to stay even though. Tall sweep. There’s a hold on the outside. There’s the flag as Jack Nibbons was getting held as he tried to contain the the running back. Yeah, Nans and Watson, great job pursuing that uh that look like the quarterback or was that number seven? Uh but Eli Black lays the the final hit, but hopefully it’s going to push him back 10 yards. So, first and 20 upcoming actually. Yes, first and 20. It was right at the line of scrimmage. So, the spot foul moves him back 10 yards. Stimson lined up on the outside. Yeah, watch Stimpson to Stimson here. and that he’s running towards the line of scrimmage. That should be illegal procedure. They don’t call it. Barrett makes the first two Lightning defenders miss. Alex Martin finally brings him down, but he got all of the penalty yardage back. Yeah. And quite a few more. It’s going to bring up second and short as Alex Martin is slow to get up over there on the sideline for the Patriots. That was reminiscent of arena ball with the way he was moving towards the line. I guess they just didn’t see the angle to get it. Like I said, Alex Martin with a great stop uh to prevent a touchdown right there. Still on his back. So, while they’re tending to Martin, we’ll take another quick break and be right back. You’re watching Lightning Football. Window Windows 205 is a local residential home window replacement company. We replace your old windows with high quality Americanmade energyefficient vinyl windows that have easy open and easy clean features. Our windows are tinted, filled with low argon gas, and come with a lifetime warranty. Tad Samples is your owner, salesperson, and installer, so you only have to deal with one person. Please call today for your free estimate. So, we’re back. Martin is making his way over to the Lightning sideline a little gingerly. Hopefully he’s just a little banged up and can get back in there shortly. Let’s see. Looks like the newcomer, that’s number 13, Kase Inventable, will enter the game for Martin. Let’s see if they try him. They do. They go right at Kase Inventable and he misses the tackle. Spinsing spinning out of it is Barrett trotting down the sideline. The Lightning will not catch him and the Patriots go up by a touchdown. Yeah, a little quick screen over there. Venable right on top of him. Good hard hit. Just didn’t wrap up. He spun out of it. Got down the sidelines. We didn’t have the best pursuit angles trying to get to him. So, a quick score by the Patriots and hopefully we can get another stop here and we can flip the tables back on them when we get the ball back on offense. Yeah, and this is what concerns, you know, like we said earlier, a lot of newcomers to the Lightning. Not not necessarily newcomers, but not a lot of playing time. And um just the little things like don’t just grab him and sling him. You got to wrap him up and bring him down. And uh coach Smith and Coach Romano will certainly work on that in the upcoming week and get those things corrected. Under center is Stimson and call timeout. They call timeout. All right. So each team calling timeout on a two-point conversion. We’ll just keep it here and watch the discussion. Yeah. So, the Patriots have a number of things they could go for here. They could give it to I’m not going to remember his name. Loftton Meyers. Yes. Uh who’s had a very productive night. Do we have any Russian numbers on Loftton Myers by chance? I don’t think I asked you to keep Russian stats for them. A lot. A good statistitian will say he got a lot of yards. Yeah, we haven’t seen the counter here much in the second half. They fake the handoff. Pass is into the end zone and it is good. So, I didn’t see who that was. It came. Was that big number two? It might have been. Well, he just rocketed that ball right between the numbers for two points as they go up eight points. 26-8 with 237 left in this ball game. So, still plenty of time. Lightning scored quickly on their last drive. They can do it again here. Plenty of 237 is plenty of time, especially in eightman football on a 100 yard regulation 11man field. We have Ben Davis still in the center. See if they do the same thing or try to kick it to the side a little more. Yep, he’s lining up. Looks like kicking over to the far side of the field. High bounce on the onside kick and vable. That is Vinnable. Good job stepping up there to to field that one. Thought he was going to sit back and let it bounce. Yeah, that’s one of those inbetweeners. And you know, if you’re a short stop, sometimes you got to come and get that short hop or you step back. Great job coming up. Confident catch, taking it down to be safe so our offense can come out and make some magic happen right now. So, Lightning with an eight-point deficit. So, they need a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie it up. Somebody throwing some laundry on the field there. Black looking throwing back across the middle. Dangerous pass and it is going to be I believe intercepted by Loftton Meyers. Let’s see what that ref says. Nope. Did he give it to him? Yeah. So Ben Davis is celebrating. It’s a tug of war. I think they’re just going to say that that tie goes to the receiver. Yeah, I agree 100% with that call. And we are not biased. No. All right. Eli Black gets the play from coach. Heads to the huddle. Loftton Myers pleaded his case. Yes, he did. and justifiably but if both both guys went down with the ball that’s gonna go to the receiver 99 times out of 100 trying to bubble screen there now he throws it as he Ben Davis slipped behind the the the defense a little bit the first layer of the defense anyway so heads up play there by Eli Black to get Davis the ball yeah and that’s one of the things Eli will have to work on as the season goes is not having to have as much altitude on that ball. Uh really getting that back leg behind it. But great play right there. A I don’t know if you want to call it a busted play, but they improvised a little bit to get the some about five or six yards on that play. It’s a second short. I guess you’re going to say Davis came down out of bounds because the clock is stopped at a minute 53. Second and three upcoming for the Lightning. Black rolling to his left again. Black looking to the end zone. Not there. He gets the first down by running for it. Out of bounds inside the 10, sorry, inside the the 15 to the 11 yd line. It looked like he was looking for Davis right there. Davis was covered pretty good, but Eli Black using his legs to get the first down. I feel a lot more better if he he tucked that ball in when he was running. Uh, but nevertheless, first and 10, it looks like the 10 and a half yardd line. So, tight end to the bottom of of your screen, man in motion, hand off up the middle. That’s something we haven’t seen a lot of this half is Isaac Griffith, but he gets some tough yards down to around the eight yd line. Yeah, Griffin really hits the hole hard. Uh, made it tough for him to bring down. They’re really trying to strip that ball from uh Griffith right there. Is it Griffith or Griffin? Have we from Griffith? So, great job holding on to the ball here deep in the game. Same formation. Black rolling to his right this time. Fires to the end zone. Touchdown Lightning. And that is Trey Hope. Yeah, great little Yeah, great roll out for Eli Black. Sees Hope just kind of tucked in there and just lasers it right between the numbers. Almost hits him in the belly button, but that’s six points as a very, very vital important two-point conversion coming up right here. We’ll see. They’re going to call a timeout to discuss it. Yep. The Lightning will use their last timeout. So, we’ll take a break and be right back. You’re watching Lightning Football on the ECS Athletics YouTube channel. Healthy Harvey’s and Pelum, Shelby County’s original premier health and wellness shop since 1978. Stop by for natural foods, vitamins, herbs, weight loss products, CBD, and so much more. Thank you for shopping local and thank you for shopping Healthy Harvey’s. Steven Davis and Squirrels Plumbing provides residential and commercial plumbing services. Give them a call today for a free estimate. And remember, they are nuts about plumbing. Located in the 1022 Tower right next to Shelby Baptist Hospital, Dermatologists of Birmingham has been serving all ages in the Shelby, Chilton, and Bib counties area for almost 20 years. It’s been a good one, folks. But the Lightning find themselves down by two and needing a two-point conversion to draw even. Only a buck08 left on the clock in this back and forth battle between Rendle Parrot Academy from North Carolina and your Evangel Lightning. Tight end tight slot formation to the top of the screen. Black looking to throw. Nobody open. Buying time. Can he get there? No, he cannot. Finally stopped by Loftton Meyers. Wow. Big collision down there. Both of them slow to get up. Yeah, the play developed and it looks like Hope was open right over the middle. I just don’t think Eli saw him as he tried to hustle to the edge of the end zone. And I think hope was there, but uh Eli made the decision to turn it up field and try to get in, but a big collision between number seven Meyers and number nine Black. Uh no time goes off the clock on an extra point attempt. So, we’ll see what the Patriots do if they just try to down it out here or see if our defense can do something pretty special. Yeah. So, this is definitely an on onside kick situation as Loftton Meyers. Well, I guess he’s just staying there because he’ll be deep to receive. Yeah. Thinking maybe he was still shaken up. Yeah. One thing about our offensive line, they’re young and they’re a lot smaller than this Patriot Dline. They’ve really held their own. They have uh tonight. I’ve been really proud of this offensive line. A young offensive line, too. Yeah, good call. I thought about that earlier and didn’t get a chance to mention it. That’s a great point. This is a more experienced Arendel Parrot team. I mean, even the two of the seniors that the Lightning have on the roster um are new to the Lightning or at least one of them are new to the Lightning this year. Only seven seniors after graduating 17 from last year’s squad. There’s the onside kick. There’s the good hop for the Lightning, but Barrett is there to corral it. And the clutch receiver, who’s been making big plays all night, might have just made the biggest one. Yep. And why is the clock still running? Well, well, the still is supposed to stop on change of possession. And the coaches, I don’t think recognize it. The clock is not now they stop it. A good 17 to 20 seconds ran off the clock. No, they’re putting time back up on Okay. Yeah. poor because it was 108 before the kickoff. So, but no no timeouts for the Lightning. So, they’re just going to kneel it here and they’ll probably have to kneel it once more. But that should do it. So, the Lightning will start off the 2025 season 0 and one. The 39game, eight-man winning streak comes to an end, but a lot of positives to take away from this. Certainly. Yeah. Like you mentioned, we’re a very young team as far as experience. We’ve seen great things really. Hey, not a lot of flags on this opening game. No off sides, nothing like that. most of us happened on the Patriots side of the ball. So, you know, we say a lot of that goes back to great coaching and preparing these young men uh for this game. But Eli Black looks strong back there. Obviously, he’s got some areas of improvement and uh opening up our game. Isaac Griffith, first year starter here in the back field, looks strong. Great not only running the ball, but blocking for our quarterback for passes as both teams line up to shake hands. Yeah, all around a good first game. the the you know the probably the the worst thing that happened with the the the two turnovers in the second half. You know, we still could have drawn even there at the end. Just came up a yard short on the two-point conversion. So, the coaches will certainly get a lot of these errors corrected this week and and they will be ready to go next week when the Lightning are back home for the season home opener. Get back there for you because it’s not a typical second game of the season and the opponent Oh, there it is. Let me I can’t remember the acronym, okay, what it means, but it’s CST HA. Uh, it’s a homeschool team. I do know that. So, the H definitely stands for homeschool. But CSTa will be coming to Monavalo for game two of the 2025 season next week, and we hope to see you all there. But if you can’t make it out, you can certainly catch the broadcast team. I will actually be out of town next week, so we will uh have some different players in different roles next week on the broadcast team, but we will be sure to bring you all the action. So for my color commentator Matt Holmes, statistician Drake Holmes, cameraman Wesley Holmes, and assistant producer Kirk Stallings. I’m Scott Stafford. We appreciate you watching. Our time is up. We thank you for yours. You’ve been watching Evangel Lightning Football on the ECS Athletics YouTube channel. Good night, everyone. Strike Lightning.