Final drive lifts Lions to season-opening win
August 29, 2009

By DAVID CLAYBOURN
Herald-Banner Staff

	Photo By Laurie White King/ Herald-Banner Staff There’s no hiding the joy on the faces of the Greenville Lions after they rallied in the final minute for a 25-19 victory over Forney in the season opener on Friday night at T.A. “Cotton” Ford Stadium.

GREENVILLE -- Quarterback Alton Dennis directed Greenville on a 58-yard touchdown drive in the final minute to give the Lions a 25-19 victory over Forney in a football thriller on Friday night at T.A. “Cotton” Ford Stadium.

The Lions trailed 19-18 with no timeouts when Dennis dropped back to pass on first and 10 from his own 42-yard line with only a minute remaining. He couldn’t find an open receiver and had to take a 3-yard loss before running out of bounds to stop the clock with 54 seconds left.

Dennis then went back to work, taking what the Forney defense gave him, completing first a 14-yard strike to wide receiver Devonte Green and then scrambling 13 yards for a first down.

The Lions still had 34 yards to cover in only 39 seconds but that was no problem for the senior quarterback, who scrambled another 11 yards before running out of bounds at the Forney 23 with 30 seconds left.

Then with fans on both sides on their feet, Dennis lofted a 23-yard strike to the end zone to Green, who brought in the touchdown catch on the fade route with 21 seconds remaining though facing close coverage from a Jackrabbit defender. Ryan Wilhelm booted the extra point.

Greenville’s defense then held on, allowing only an 11-yard gain in Forney’s final three plays.

Greenville coach Jim Phillips called it a big win.

“The way we did it,” he said. “Now they know they can believe in themselves. Once you get that, it’s big.”

Phillips said he and the Lion coaches have been preaching to the players to “finish it” day in and day out.

“And they finished it tonight,” he said.

Dennis finished with 210 yards of total offense, running for 150 yards on 16 carries and was 6-of-11 passing for 60 yards.

The Lions nearly put two other runners over the 100-yard rushing mark as they stacked up 423 yards of total offense, including 363 rushing.

Running back Dakieston Williams ran for 96 yards on 12 carries, including a 26-yard touchdown run on his first carry.

Running back N.J. Mason managed 99 yards on eight carries including a big 71-yard touchdown to put the Lions back up 18-13 with 1:14 left in the third quarter.

The Lions struggled with their special teams play, failing to convert on their first three conversions, getting a 34-yard field goal attempt blocked following a low snap from center and also missing a 41-yard field goal with 4:12 left that would have put them up 21-13.

Forney followed up that missed kick with a 76-yard touchdown drive that featured the power running of quarterback Blake Branton. Branton ran for gains of 34, 2, 7, 4, 1 and 13 yards on the drive before lofting a 12-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Rather with 1:05 remaining. Branton finished with 152 yards rushing on 27 carries and was 9-of-19 passing for 113 yards. Greenville’s defense scored the game’s first points after Forney picked up a couple of first downs on the game’s first possession.

Greenville’s defense scored the game’s first points. Branton had trouble handling an offline snap from center on a first-and-10 play from his 36. The ball squirted through several sets of hands on both teams before Greenville defensive back Cobbie Johnson fell on the football for a touchdown with 9:55 left in the opening period.

Greenville tried to fool Forney on the swinging gate play on the conversion but Tristian Farley was stopped well short of the goalline, leaving it at 6-0.

Phillips said he made the wrong call on that conversion play.

“I was looking at option and I called run,” he said.

Lesley Booker of Forney answered Greenville’s touchdown with a 43-yard kickoff return that set the Jackrabbits up for a 59-yard, five-play scoring drive. Branton’s quick feet supplied most of the yardage on the drive with a 45-yard quarterback scamper down to the Greenville 9-yard line. Forney scored two plays later on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Branton to a diving Juan Villareal. Billy Brady’s first extra point try clanged off the goal post but the Lions were flagged for offsides. Brady converted on his second attempt to give the visitors a 7-6 lead with 7:08 still left in the first quarter.

Greenville bounced right back to grab the lead back with a 63-yard, four-play drive that featured the running of Dennis and Williams. Dennis dashed for gains of 21 and 20 yards before Williams powered 26 yards off left tackle for the touchdown at the 5:55 mark of the opening quarter.

The Lions failed to convert again as Mason, in as the holder, was stopped short on a run try for two.

Greenville threatened again later in the first quarter after Dennis broke for a 28-yard run. But the drive stalled at the Forney 15 and the Lions were denied points when Ryan Wilhelm’s 34-yard field goal attempt was blocked following a low snap that gave Forney’s special teams time to wade in through the Greenville line of blockers.

Dennis put Greenville in scoring position in the second quarter with a 56-yard run to the Forney 23. But the drive stalled again after Dennis was sacked for a 7-yard loss on third down his fourth down pass attempt sailed incomplete.