Pioneers Power Past Indians in Region D

LEBANON, Va. – It was an encore performance by Lebanon. It has been an up and down season for the defending Region D, Division 2 champion Lebanon Pioneers (7-4). But they will be back in the finals after a 30-6 win over J.J. Kelly on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Tommy Bryant Stadium. The two teams had also met in the semifinals last year, with the Pioneers winning 35-32.

“We had a hard time stopping them from running last year,” Lebanon coach John Adams said. “We were bound and determined to try to keep them from running the ball, but you
see how well that did. They were still able to run it.”

J.J. Kelly finished with 240 yards on the ground, but at the start of the game the Indians found the yards hard to come by against the Lebanon defense, led by Evan Campbell and
Nick Bush. The first five possessions by the Indians resulted in a lost fumble and four punts. They gained a total of 37 yards in their first 16 rushing attempts.

“We knew that Kelly liked to run the ball,” said Bush. “They can pass and they like to catch you off-guard with it. I think the two weeks [without playing] kind of helped us out. We were prepared for them.”

Before J.J. Kelly got their running game going, they were trailing 23-0. And the Indians ball control offense isn’t geared to come from behind.

J.J. Kelly had their best drive of the game in the third quarter. Lebanon took the second half kickoff and drove to the Kelly 18, before turning the ball over on downs.

The Indians then ran 15 plays, all on the ground and used over seven minutes off the clock. On a 4th-and-5 from the Lebanon 8, Bush nailed Kelly running back Alex McArthur for a 1-yard loss and the drive ended without the Indians scoring.

“We needed to come up with a big stop,” Bush said. “I didn’t have any blockers come out on me. Most of the day I had two or three coming out, but I was able to slip through one time and make the tackle.”

With a score the Indians might have gained some momentum, but they weren’t able to put points on the board. Kelly didn’t do anything different offensively in the second half, but they were able to move the ball effectively.

“We just blocked the line of scrimmage and the backs ran hard,” said J.J. Kelly coach B.I. Salyer. “That hurt. I probably ran a couple of plays late in that drive that I shouldn’t, but hind sight is 20-20. That’s part of it.”

The Indians also lost a couple of fumbles that hurt. The first one led to a Lebanon field goal. The second led to the Pioneers’ final touchdown.

Lebanon quarterback Andrew Jessee had a spectacular day. Jessee completed 10-of-12 passes for 188 yards and two went for touchdowns. The Pioneers had some problems
running the football. They finished with 146 yards on the ground. Jessee was also their leading rusher with 69 yards on the ground.

“They stopped the run early, so we threw the ball,” stated Jessee. “When we completed some passes, it kind of opened up the running game.”

Wide receiver Jerome Cobb was impossible for Kelly to contain. They covered Cobb well, but he used his athletic ability to make some great catches. He caught six passes for 100 yards gained. He made a spectacular grab in the end zone of a 32-yard spiral from Jessee.

Another Lebanon wide out, Bob Jones had a great day. Jones caught a flair pass in the right flat and raced up the field for a 53-yard touchdown.

McArthur led the Kelly offense with 98 yards on 22 rushing attempts.

It will be another rematch in the Region D, Division 2 championship contest at UVa.-Wise next Saturday, when Lebanon battles Gate City.