Interception gives Lebo victory over St. Paul
Ken Easthouse
Saturday, September 23, 2006
LEBO — Bryant Linsey had a game-clinching interception waved off after an encroachment call gave St. Paul one more chance to score.
So, for good measure, he intercepted the next toss in the end zone to secure Lebo’s 26-18 thriller win Friday in Lebo.
Though it was the first time the two teams have matched up, the first half wasn’t much of a matchup at all.
St. Paul went three-and-out on its opening drive. The Indians, however, faked a punt during the second drive, and that play apparently demoralized the Wolves.
After that, St. Paul went on to score the first two touchdowns. Lebo saved face just before halftime but went to the locker room down 12-8.
“The first half was all St. Paul until the last four minutes,” Lebo coach Butch Jones said.
St. Paul’s defense focused on stopping the Lebo running game, led by Linsey and Cameron Smith.
“They took some things away from us offensively,” Jones said. “We’re going to have to learn how to handle that.”
St. Paul was effective, in part, because Lebo quarterback Blake Jones missed his first five passes and was only 3-of-8 at halftime.
“I was really tense,” Blake said.
The Wolves scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to go up 26-12 entering the fourth quarter.
“We did a nice job of settling down a little bit later,” Butch Jones said.
St. Paul came back and scored an early fourth quarter touchdown but failed the extra-point attempt. Lebo’s last drive nearly sealed the win, but the Wolves failed to score after a first-and-goal situation.
St. Paul rushed every play on its final drive, eating away the clock to set up the dramatic ending.
“I just thought about stopping them,” Blake Jones said. “I just wanted to get the ball back.”
The Indians rushed the ball 52 times, which accounted for nearly all of the offense. St. Paul completed just one pass for two-yard gain.
Brandon Speer led the aerial attack for the Wolves, catching five balls for 128 yards and one touchdown.