WS Chronicle

BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE

FOR THE CHRONICLE

Weird.

That’s probably the only way to adequately describe what took place between Mount Tabor and Glenn in a junior varsity football game played last Thursday in Kernersville.

The Mount Tabor Spartans knocked the Glenn Bobcats from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 26-12 victory. The final score, though, doesn’t reveal much about how this game actually played out.

For starters, kickoff was delayed for 45 minutes because of the threat of thunder and lightning. Field conditions were far from optimal due to a downpour that lasted for a little over two hours. The turf held up well and there were no mud puddles. As things turned out, it was Glenn that never fully adjusted to the damp conditions on its home field.

“I’m happy to get the win, but with the way we played, I can’t really enjoy it,” said Coach Tiesuan Brown of Mount Tabor. “The way the we played tonight just won’t cut it when we start conference play in the coming weeks.”

Mount Tabor (2-1) owned the first half and built a convincing 20-0 cushion by intermission. Glenn, on the other hand, seemingly did everything in its power to self-destruct. Four lost fumbles gave the visitors excellent field position and golden opportunities to cash in for scores, which they did.

The Spartans opened the scoring when a high snap sailed over Glenn punter Brandon Boyd’s head and Je’Vante Legrande recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. After a short punt, Mount Tabor got the ball inside Glenn’s 40. LeGrande’s brother, De’Vante, broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage, then raced down the left sideline on a 39-yard touchdown run.

De’Vante Legrande scored again on a four-yard carry and the Spartans recorded a safety when an errant Bobcats snap on fourth down rolled out of the end zone.

Early in the fourth quarter, the tide began to shift. Mount Tabor fumbled near midfield and Alpascal Reaves scooped up the loose ball and ran 51 yards for Glenn’s first score to cut the deficit to 20-6.

With less than three minutes left to play, the Bobcats reached the Spartans red zone when Jaquan Sanders hit Christen Wilson on a 31-yard pass play to put the ball inside Mount Tabor’s 20. Two plays later, Wilson got open on a post route and caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Sanders. The 20-point lead was now reduced to eight (20-12).

Suddenly, a game that had been controlled by Mount Tabor, was up for grabs.

“Miscues killed us,” said Coach Steve Herring of Glenn. “If we had played in the first half like we did in the second half, you’re looking at a very different ball game. Mount Tabor is far from shabby. They got the lead and never relinquished it.”

In the waning minutes, Glenn’s defense forced a punt and got a big boost from Reaves’ 24-yard punt return. The Bobcats (3-1) had the ball on the Spartans 48-yard line with just under 20 seconds remaining. If they score, they’re only a two-point conversion away from tying the game and forcing overtime.

Instead, Mount Tabor added some icing to the victory on the final play of the game. Je’Vante Legrande intercepted a Sanders’ pass intended for Wilson and ran it back 70 yards for a touchdown.

The game-ending “pick six” capped a productive evening for the Legrande brothers. With the exception of the safety, they accounted for all of the Spartans scoring.

“Tonight was unbelievable,” Brown said. “In the first half, we were totally focused. But in the second half, we lost our poise. We need to figure out how to generate more offense.”

Up until the last play of the night, the Bobcats held Mount Tabor scoreless in the second half. It helped that Glenn’s offense did a better job of minimizing turnovers. As a result, the Bobcats defense faced fewer situations in which its backs were against the wall.

“Our defense deserves a ton of credit,” said Herring. “We came out with a lot more attitude in the second half. On offense, we have to be better. Looking at what happened with us offensively, I can’t say that we took any steps forward this week.”