GAME 10:   Briarwood Christian 19, St. James 18

October 27, 1989  Collier Field.   Game Conditions:   Clear, cool   Winds NE 5  Game temperature 55

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St. James squandered a first quarter 12 point lead, and a fourth quarter 5 point lead, as the Briarwood Christian Lions came to town in a game where both teams, battered with injuries and bad luck, were ready to close out the 1989 football season.  The Lions prevailed in a nevertheless energetic game, 19 - 18.

The Trojans marched down the field with authority on their first drive.  Eleven straight running plays, including a 16 yard carry by Matt Thomas (part of his career high 154 yard effort) which ended in a fumble negated by an inadvertent whistle had the Trojans fourth down and seven from the eight yard line.  Jeff George, not even on the quarterback depth chart at the beginning of the season, called his own number for the first time and belted into the endzone.  The Trojans tried a two point conversion from a fake kick position, but the pass was incomplete.  However, the Trojans had an early 6 - 0 lead and some momentum.

After a 25 yard kickoff return by the Lions, they converted a first down, but Thomas recovered a fumble on the next play and St. James was back in business at their own 37.  An 18 yard run by Sean Kennedy on his first carry of the night was followed by a no gain run.  On second down from the 45, Thomas broke loose for one of the longest touchdowns of the season.  This time, the two point conversion pass from a standard formation was also incomplete, but the Trojans were up by 12 early.

To further the momentum, the Trojans tried an onside kick, which almost worked.  However, a Trojan instinctively reached for the ball nine yards down the field for an illegal touching penalty.  After three nice runs, Briarwood had a first and 10 just outside the 10 yard line.  The first two plays gained a net of seven yards, but the tough St. James defense held their ground for consecutive no yard gains and took over just before the end of the first quarter.  A 16 yard run by George moved the ball out of immediate danger before a Trojan punt.  The Lion ground game was stifled again, and a 52 yard punt return by Will Parker was negated for the most part by a clipping penalty.

However, the Trojans still had the ball at the Lion 44.  A first down run by Thomas was followed by a penalty, a sack, and a fourth down incompletion, giving Briarwood the ball at their own 33.  This time they would drive 67 yards for their first score.  A crucial offsides penalty on third down provided a first down, and was followed by a Lee Walsh 27 yard pass completion and a 20 yard run by Walsh.  On third down from the Trojan three, Walsh called his own number for the touchdown.  Despite a penalty for an endzone celebration pushing the extra point attempt back 15 yards, it was converted and the lead was cut to 5 points late in the first half.

On the second St. James scrimmage play from their own 40, the Trojans overcame a serious error.  A George screen pass was intercepted and returned for an apparent touchdown, but a face mask penalty well behind the line of scrimmage prior to the interception negated the Lion score.  However, despite the penalty, the Trojans could not convert their first down.  With 40 seconds remaining in the half, St. James tried a fake punt on fourth and two, but the pass was incomplete.  The Lions only took two plays to make the Trojans pay.  Walsh passed for 30 yards to Lee, despite defensive pass interference, and then for 11 yards to Walter Maddox for Briarwood's second touchdown in two minutes.  The kick failed, but Briarwood had taken a one point lead into halftime with two late scores.

A sack of Walsh stopped Briarwood's first drive, and the Trojans held the ball for nearly nine minutes of the third quarter despite covering only 59 yards for their third touchdown.  George converted a fourth and one from midfield with a two yard carry.  Four plays later, on fourth and four, a 24 yard run by Thomas was wiped out by another clipping penalty.  However, before the punt on the next play, Briarwood was called for defensive holding, giving the Trojans another life with a second fourth and two opportunity.  This time Thomas carried for 11 yards and the first down.  Four plays later, again on fourth down, Thomas carried for 10 yards to keep the drive alive, moving the ball to the 11 yard line.  After a yard loss and a delay of game penalty, George found Billy Byrd wide open in the endzone for a touchdown giving St. James the lead back.  Again, a two point conversion pass failed, but the Trojans were up 18 - 13 late in the third quarter.

Briarwood held the ball for the next thirteen plays, picking up several first downs along the way, but amzaingly only managed a net of 17 yards because of penalties.  Their punt was downed on the Trojan 10.  A first down run by George of 24 yards was negated by yet another clipping penalty, and three plays later a George pass was intercepted and returned to the St. James 17.  After a 16 yard carry on first down, Walsh scored on a quarterback sneak on the next play.  Trying to raise the lead to three, a Briarwood two point pass was incomplete, but the Lions had a single point lead with just over five minutes remaining in the game.

A 12 yard keeper by George and a 22 yard run by Parker on the first play advanced the ball to the Lion 30, but this time on fourth down and three, Thomas could only gain two yards and the ball was turned over.  With 2½ minutes remaining, Briarwood picked up one first down and exhausted all of the Trojan timeouts before needing to punt.  George's six yard punt return gave the Trojans one last desperate chance with four seconds remaining, but his long pass was incomplete and the Lions secured their second victory of the season, matching the 2 - 8 record of the Trojans as both teams looked forward to their next decade of football.

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