LEBANON — Yes, it had been a while. Lebanon last beat Richlands 21-6 in football on August 27, 1993. That hadn’t played each year after, but the Pioneers ended a 15-game losing streak against the Blue Tornado on Friday. Lebanon was favored to win, but a decisive 28-7 Southwest District triumph at Harry Stuart Field had to shock most.
“I was involved in several of those losses, and it was tough,” Lebanon coach Darrell Taylor said. “This was a great win for the kids. The coaches did a good job, we’ve been working and pushing harder in practice and tried to simplify things.
“This game, we were in this situation because there were no turnovers. I’ve been preaching and preaching, but this was the first game we had zero turnovers and not many penalties. I tell them all the time, you do that, and you give yourself a chance to stay in ballgames. I’m proud of them.”
You don’t have to look at statistics long to see the difference in the game. Six-foot-three, 205-pound sophomore quarterback Mike Reece dominated. Reece threw for a score and ran for three more, accounting for all four Lebanon touchdowns.
“This feels good,” Reece said. “We came in and had an excellent week of practice. We watched film and were prepared for what they ran. I couldn’t be prouder of this team, the way we’ve bonded the past two weeks, and it’s shown on and off the field.”
A bizarre play got momentum on the Pioneer’s sideline early. Lebanon took the opening kickoff, and the drive stalled. On a 4th-and-5, Toby Baker was in punt formation. Baker punted, but it hit the back of a Pioneer player. Baker raced back, retrieved the ball, and ran to the Richlands 44 for a first down to keep the drive alive.
On the first play, Reece threw to Baker for a 13-yard gain. On the next play, Reece lofted a 31-yard pass into the end zone, and wide-out Luke Garrett wrestled the ball away from a defender and stayed inbounds for the game’s first touchdown. Carter Dillon booted the point after, and Lebanon was up 7-0 with 8:16 remaining in the first quarter.
“That was a key play when Toby got the ball,” Taylor said. “Statistics say you give up a blocked punt, things don’t normally go well for you. That set the tempo and took the air out of Richlands sails.”
The Blue Tornado struggled to move the ball against a stingy Pioneer defense. Richlands punted three times in the first half. Also, three drives ended with turnovers as Eli Cook, Dalton Long, and Brennan Hess came up with interceptions for Lebanon. Richlands had only 79 yards of total offense in the first half.
Lebanon went up two TDs after the Cook pick at the Richlands 44. Reece had a one-yard rush and was out of bounds when hit by a Blue Tornado player for a personal foul, adding 15 yards to the play. Dillon broke free up the middle for a 25-yard gain. Reece rambled in from three yards out for a 14-0 lead early in the second frame. That ended the scoring in the first half.
“I think the secondary played a super good ballgame,” commented Taylor. “These kids are getting better, we’re going to stay on them and keep going.”
Richlands took the second-half kickoff and was again stymied by the Pioneer defense, turning the ball over on downs. On Lebanon’s third play, Reece sprinted up the middle and outrun the defense for a 56-yard score.
After a Tornado punt, Reece found Garrett for a 51-yard pass play. It helped set up a nine-yard TD scamper for Reece to put the game away.
Reece was 9-of-17 passing for 131 yards and a TD. He also led Lebanon on the ground with 15 attempts for 105 yards, including three TDs.
“Everyone said I couldn’t run,” Reece said. “So, running the ball and getting my long legs going felt good. I’ll take it, I’ll do whatever the defense gives me.”
That’s not what opposing defenses want to hear. Reece is known for a rocket arm, effectively running the football.
“Mike has bought into the fact he can be a difference in the offense running the ball,” Coach Taylor said. “We struggle to run the ball at times. When Mike goes, it’s 11 on 11, and that helps. The defense they played took the running back away, when we put Mike in the equation, we have an extra player in the box.”
Richlands (0-5) averted the shutout with a late touchdown. Quarterback Andrew Boyd tossed a 10-yard TD pass to Kaden Dupree with just over two minutes remaining in the game.
Baker had five receptions for 39 yards for the Pioneers. Garrett caught two passes for 83 yards. Francisco Hernandez (six tackles), Long (five) and Robert Stevenson (five) led the defense.
Lebanon (2-3, 1-1) goes after their third win in a row when they travel to John Battle on Friday.
“Our confidence is high,” Reece said. “We’re confident as a team. John Battle has a good team, we have to go down there and be well-prepared for them.”