Livingston lost its ninth straight game of 2024 Friday night, a 35-14 contest at Lumberton.
The Livingston offense again had problems with consistency, with just 90 yards at the half.
Lumberton established a comfortable lead in the first half with a 21-0 advantage. A 30-yard run from Chase Williams, along with two connections between quarterback Nolan Mitchell and receiver Ty Reyes were the difference by the band break.
“They can throw and catch the ball. It is a lost art in certain places. They are great at screens and crossing routes and our guys were taking those away,” Livingston coach Finis Vanover said. “They hit a couple of out routes. They had too many bullets to fire, and we have a handful of players that are playing everything and every down.”
The Livingston offense was offensive for most of two periods, going three-and-out on five consecutive drives. Their final possession in the second quarter was a 14-play march for 49 yards. It landed at the doorstep of the end zone. Needing just over a yard with four seconds remaining until halftime, Jerren James got the call in the power I and was stopped inches from the goal line.
“They were whipping our offensive and defensive fronts in the first quarter and a half. We got that drive going and it crushed us because we didn't get in,” Vanover said. “It was all-important to get that drive and score to go in with eight points. That way we would know we had a chance with something positive. It really took the life out of us when we didn't make it there. And it was like bringing them back from the grave to try to get out there and make one more run at it. I can't say enough good things about them because in the second half we got two other scores.”
The two teams traded touchdowns over the final two periods. Livingston would get on the board once in the third and once in the fourth. Trenden Williams ended an 11-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run in the third. Quarterback Damorian Hill added a two-point conversion. In the final minute of the game, Deondrae Walker took a jet sweep 25 yards for six, making it a three-score contest.
For Lumberton, Carter Wilson had a 44-yard run to make 98 for the night. Reyes caught his third touchdown pass in the fourth, and had six receptions for 135 yards Friday.
“We had penalties again at the worst possible moments and we couldn't handle, with regularity, their big boys on either side of the ball. We would make plays, but they would just keep leaning. They have a fine running game behind that line. They're not just pass blockers. They are playing with confidence now and aggression. You have to play with eight in (the box), and then they've got you by the throat, because they are going deep.”
