Madison County Red Raiders

Faust repels Eastside's comeback Madison County 10, Eastside 7
 By John Kaltefleiter | john.kaltefleiter@onlineathens.com
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 091606 | Story updated at 3:22 AM on Saturday, September 16, 2006
DANIELSVILLE - There was no smile on Jarrod Owens' face as he shuffled toward Madison County's midfield celebration following the Red Raiders' 10-7 win over Eastside on Friday night. Sure, Owens threw for 208 yards, and a touchdown and completed better than 50 percent of his passes with no interceptions. But even he knew Madison County's offense was too erratic, and that the Red Raiders' defense and special teams deserved most of the credit. "I played awful," Owens said. "That's the worst I've played in a long time. (The defense) bailed me out. We had opportunity after opportunity, and we just couldn't get it done." But neither could Eastside. The Eagles missed a 37-yard field goal in the first half, and quarterback Justin Wray was intercepted by Lindburg Faust on a fourth-and-5 from the Madison County 29-yard line with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter. Poor field position also devastated Eastside. Nine of the Eagles' 10 drives started inside their half of the field. On the only Eastside drive that started inside Madison County territory, Eagles tailback Johnny Norrington fumbled at the 35 on the first play midway through the third quarter. "They kept us pinned back all night long," Eastside coach Rick Hurst said. "We had the momentum, and that (the fumble) hurt us. We were minus in the turnover category, and when you're minus in the turnover category most of the time you're going to lose." Despite its offensive instability, Madison County (3-0) scored on its second possession of the game when Owens hit Aldreakos Allen for a 58-yard pass that set up Jarvis Long's 5-yard score. Madison County (3-0) stumbled on its next drive, though, and the Eagles capitalized on their last possession before half. Spurred by Wray, the Eagles drove to the Madison County 26 when Wray connected with Lorenzo Echols for a scoring strike. Madison County had a chance to retake the lead before half, thanks to personal foul facemask penalty on the squibbed kickoff and a pass interference call on Echols. But Jack Orr's 23-yard field goal attempt hooked right as time expired. Madison County's defense stood strong to open the second half and forced Eastside to punt on its first possession. "We just had to stop their quarterback; that was the main thing," defensive lineman Brent Russell said. "He was a good scrambler, and he could throw the ball where he wanted to." The Red Raiders finally broke the tie after Norrington's fumble when Owens put together a 10-play drive that paved the way for Orr's 24-yarder. Jarvis Long's 21-yard scoring run seven plays earlier was negated because of holding. "Our defense, although it was ugly at times and made some hair fall out, it got the job done," Madison County coach Randell Owens said. "I'm disappointed that our offense didn't bring more to the table to keep our defense off the field." Madison County is undefeated after three games for the second straight season. The Red Raiders haven't started 4-0 while playing a region schedule since 1991, when they started 5-0. Now, fourth-ranked Dacula stands in their way. "Dacula probably will be the hardest team we play all season," Jarrod Owens said. "We're going to have to play perfect to get it done against them. "But can we get it done? Of course." Game report • Turning Point: Madison County cornerback Lindburg Faust intercepted Justin Wray at the Red Raiders' 21 with 48 seconds left to stop the Eagles' comeback bid. • Key Stat: Madison County took advantage of Eastside's poor field position. The Eagles started nine of their 10 drives inside their half of the field. On Eastside's only drive that started in Madison County territory, which began at the 38-yard line and came in the third quarter, Eagles tailback Johnny Norrington fumbled on the first play. • Impact: The Red Raiders start 3-0 for the second straight year. Madison County, which hosts No. 4 Dacula next week, hasn't started 4-0 while playing a region schedule since 1991 when the Red Raiders started 5-0. Published in the Athens Banner-Herald .