Wildcats Battle but Fall to No.1 Lindsey Wilson
MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The No. 1 Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders invaded Wildcat Stadium Saturday and despite giving up a season high 30 points they left McKenzie with a 41-30 victory over the No. 22 Bethel Wildcats. Lindsey Wilson was yielding just 4.4 points per game before facing the Wildcats and had shutout three straight opponents. They had yielded just 31 points in their seven prior games.
Lindsey Wilson scored on their opening possession when Ian Saulter nailed a 35-yard attempt. The field goal was the only score of the first quarter.
Lindsey Wilson scored the first touchdown of the game on a Jalen Boyd one-yard rush at the 12:35 mark of the second stanza.
Bethel scored on their next possession, a 24-yard field goal from Luis Morales.
After a LWC interception, the Raiders struck when Cameron Dukes hit Noel Patterson on a 12-yard touchdown pass and the Blue Raiders led 17-3.
After the Wildcat offense faltered, the Blue Raiders moved the ball on a 46-yard drive and tacked on a 19-yard field goal by Saulter and went to the locker room with a 20-3 margin.
The Wildcat offense clicked on the first drive of the third quarter. Nolan Chowbay hit Avont Burns from 42 yards out and the Cats cut the LWC lead in half at 20-10.
A Bethel turnover proved to be costly when the Blue Raiders used a short field with Darius Clark rushing in from 19 yards out to give the Kentuckians a 27-10 lead. It was a 43-yard drive.
The Cats looked like they may bounce back but LWC intercepted a Nolan Chowbay pass and the score remained 27-10 after three quarters.
Early in the fourth quarter, Chowbay teamed up with his favorite target on the season. He hit James Dixon from 19 yards out and tightened the game up at 27-17.
Dukes answered with a 60-yard strike to Joshua Lewis and LWC led 34-17.
Bethel showed grit as they scored on a Chowbay touchdown toss to Ray'Quan Wilson. The Cats trailed 34-24.
LWC's Jalen Boyd scored the last points on the night for his team. The one-yard effort gave the Raiders a 41-24 lead.
Bethel scored their final points of the game with less than a minute left. De'Ontay Tate took it in from six yards out. The two-point conversion attempt failed, and the game ended at 41-30
Bethel passed for 388 yards, but LWC picked off four Wildcat passes. Bethel could never establish a running game as they were held to a season low five yards on the ground. The Blue Raiders rolled up 421 yards of total offense and had 35 first downs.
Bethel's Vonte Bates had a career day on defense with 17 total tackles and an interception. Bethel's leading tackler on the season, Jakobe Griffin had 12 total stops.
Coach Michael Jasper was not happy with the outcome but was proud of his team and their effort. "Hats off to Coach Oliver and his guys, but I feel we are far better than what the score showed today. I am proud of the way our guys continued to fight despite all the adversity thrown at them. We just couldn't find a way to win the game. I am looking forward to seeing how we respond and how these young men answer the call next week against another great Mid-South Conference program."
The Wildcats host Thomas More Saturday at 1:30 p.m. It will be Homecoming with festivities throughout the week.