The Colts blocked, tackled and played a solid style of football to down Strayhorn in a home game Friday night and as expected with that type of effort, they won.
Lee Academy held a 14-6 lead at the half, pushed it to 28-6 in the third and put together a final drive to make it 35-6. The Colts offensive line opened holes for the backs and provided protection to their passing quarterback. The defense missed few opportunities to hit and even picked off an interception for a score.
“I thought we played well tonight,” Lee coach Rick Johnston told his players after the game. “The first half wasn’t pretty, but you found a way to win. I’ve proud of the way you played.”
The Colts used a good mix of solid running and the quick pass to gain control of the game. Once the Colts found their groove they began swinging it wide and passing it deep.
“We drove the ball down the field when we had it and we got in their backfield when they had the ball,” Johnston said. “I was very proud of our offensive line and our defensive made some big plays.”
The Colts got on the board with a Michael Basha interception return that covered 75 yards. Basha then turned around and kicked the first of five consecutive extra points.
Lee stalled on the next possession at the one and brought in Basha for the field goal that missed.
Linebacker Graydon Gullick set the tone for the defense with six solo tackles. Defensive lineman Chris Butler handled the dirty-work down front and was credited with a sack in the third quarter.
Junior Luke Crumpton got the nod to start at quarterback for the Colts after starter Russell Cook cracked an ankle in practice.
“Luke came in a played well,” said Johnston. “But we told our people we had to step up and help Luke.”
Strayhorn scored their only touchdown in the second quarter on an 8 yard run right. The point-after missed.
But Lee came back on their next possession and drove the ball 47 yards on seven plays. The Colts capped the drive with an 11 yard pass from Crumpton to Phillip Brownlee.
The score stood 14-6 at intermission.
“We made some adjustments at the half,” said Johnston. “Our guys handled the new assignments well. We continued to score and they didn’t.”
Crumpton hooked up with Brownlee midway in the third for the Colts third TD. Crumpton again stood in the pocket late in the third and hit Gullick on a 28-yard pass to send the score to 28-6.
The final score in the fourth saw the Colts drive 74-yards on nine plays. Crumpton once again found Brownlee in the endzone for the score.
“Luke looked comfortable in the pocket and Brownlee made some big catches,” Johnston added. “But it really was a team effort. We made some mistakes, but overall it was a good game for us.”
Johnston called off the dogs midway in the fourth and sent in the second team. Sophomore Vance Johnson carried the ball six straight times to rack up 24-yards on the Colts’ final drive.
The Colts (1-2) will be at home Friday as Lee Academy celebrates Homecoming. They play Rossville (0-3) Christian Academy from Rossville, Tenn.
