PCA Falls Short against Memorial 7-14

By:  Lilly Dasher, PCA senior

The Pinewood Christian Academy (PCA) family traveled to Savannah to encourage the boys in green and white as they challenged the Memorial Day School Matadors on August 25. PCA lost by one touchdown to the Matadors with a score of 7-14.

Lake Dasher was on fire in the first quarter bringing down many of the ball carriers for Memorial with strong tackles. Garlon Rogers sacked the quarter back within the first minutes of the game. The Matadors had three penalties called in a row, and their fourth penalty for a helmet to helmet hit resulted in a fourth down.

Pinewood received the ball from the kick return on the 32 yard line for a first down. Collin Woolard ran the ball for the Patriots. After not gaining enough yards for a first down, Jeffrey Young attempted to throw to G. Rogers, but the pass was incomplete. Pinewood was forced to punt.

Dasher was fierce the whole game with tackles after tackles for the Patriots. Memorial was called for holding. The Matadors gained two first downs running the ball. Second down and goal for the Matadors, as they set up the next play on the 7 yard line. Memorial threw a pass on the next play, and Young intercepted the ball for a gain of 5 yards and a Patriot first down.

Second Quarter

Sky Rogers received the ball for a gain of 4 yards for Pinewood. The Patriots came just short of earning the first down, but they were forced to punt the ball.

On the next series, G. Rogers sacked the ball carrier for Memorial. The Matadors kept inching their way to the goal line. Young had a strong tackle against the ball carrier. Memorial scored the first touchdown (TD) of the game, and the kick was good for the points after the touchdown (PAT). The score was 0-7.

Ford Thompson received the ball from the kick return. C. Woolard ran the ball for PCA. G. Rogers had a strong run for a gain of 23 yards and a Patriot first down. G. Rogers carried the ball for 2 more yards on the next play. Pinewood fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by the Matadors.

James Rogers had a strong tackle and brought the Matador back one yard. Dasher brought the ball carrier to the ground after a complete pass. J. Rogers and Dasher continued to show great strength as they brought down the Matadors play after play. Memorial made it into the end zone for another TD. The ball was kicked successfully through the uprights, and the score became 0-14.

Thompson received the ball from kick off earning a first down at the 30 yard line. G. Rogers ran the ball for Pinewood. C. Woolard had an aggressive run for the Patriots gaining LOTS of yards. The time ticked down, and the first half of the game came to an end with Memorial ahead 0-14.

Third Quarter

Thompson received the ball from the kick return earning a Patriot first down. First and 10 on the 44 yard line, G. Rogers carried the ball for PCA gaining a few yards. Logan Lewis ran the ball for the Patriots. Young completed a pass to Thompson, which put PCA close to the end zone. Pinewood could not earn the first down and was forced to punt.

Woolard had a great game with not only runs but multiple hard-hit tackles. Lewis brought Memorial’s ball carrier down with a strong tackle. A penalty was called on the Matadors for a false start two plays in a row. After an incomplete pass was thrown, Memorial was forced to punt.

On the next series, Young completed two passes to Thompson on the next two plays. An automatic first down was given to PCA when a personal foul was called against Memorial. C. Woolard ran the ball for Pinewood and gained a couple of yards. Pinewood was moved closer to the end zone after an penalty was called against the Matadors. C. Woolard ran again for the Patriots and earned several yards. G. Rogers earned 4 yards carrying the ball. After two more runs, G. Rogers earned a Patriot first down. A flag was thrown against Memorial for face masking.

Fourth Quarter

After a few incomplete passes, PCA was forced to punt.

On the next series, Sky Rogers stopped the ball carrier with a powerful tackle. The Matadors were called back for holding. G. Rogers also had a strong tackle against the Memorial runner. S. Rogers worked hard making many aggressive tackles throughout the game. Memorial was forced to punt.

Rogers started the series off with a strong run for a gain of 13 yards earning another Patriot first down. G. Rogers carried the ball again and gained 7 yards. Young completed a pass to Dasher for a gain of 13 yards, which earned PCA a first down. C. Woolard ran the ball for a gain of 2 yards. Young completed a pass to J. Rogers gaining 6 yards for PCA. Pinewood was called back 5 yards for a procedure penalty. Young completed the pass to Lewis for another Patriot first down. First and goal for the boys in green and white, and they set up on the 6 yard line. C. Woolard ran the ball for PCA but did not quite make it. Young attempted to throw the ball, it was tipped off J. Rogers’ fingertips, and Dasher caught the ball in the end zone for a Patriot TD. Caleb Conley kicked the ball successfully through the uprights for the PAT, which put PCA on the board with 7-14.

Luke Shuman tackled the Matador who received the returning kick. J. Rogers, Thompson, and Dasher all put in the work to hold the Matadors, and individually made fierce tackles against the ball carriers. S. Rogers tackled the runner after the Matadors earned a first down. G. Rogers continued to battle and had a strong tackle against the runner. Young sacked the ball carrier, but the Matadors earned a first down. A flag on the play called Memorial back 5 yards for a false start. The Matadors had a flag thrown for a delay of game. Time ran off the clock with Memorial ahead by one TD. The final score was 7-14.

Sky Rogers, senior middle linebacker stated, “Although it may have looked like a tough defeat, it allowed the team to come together and discover our strengths and weaknesses.” Having 4 solo tackles along with 1 assist, Sky had a great game. Sky said when Lake scored their only touchdown, it brought back life and hope to the team, and the Patriots began to comeback in the fourth quarter.

Pinewood will host Brookwood at Lowell Coley Field in Bellville September 1. The cheerleaders would like for the fans to show spirit by wearing something beach-themed.