LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
LAWRENCEVILLE – For the second time this season, the Paris Tigers football team had to endure the wrath of Mother Nature.
Unlike the first time though, the Tigers withstood a furious rally in the second half from the Lawrenceville Indians to secure a win by the score of 27-19. With the win, the Tigers improve to 2-2 overall and 2-0 in the Little Illini Conference. Lawrenceville remains winless on the season at 0-4 (0-2).
In week one the Tigers traveled to North Vermillion and completed just less than one quarter of play before the lightning show commenced. Unable to finish that night, the Tigers made the trip back across the state line the next morning to complete the game. The Tigers were outscored 28-6 on day two before falling by the score of 42-13. On Friday, Paris once again faced a weather delay, this one two and a half hours, coming out rather sluggish and allowing Lawrenceville a glimmer of hope
With Lawrenceville almost exclusively running the old ‘wishbone’ offense, the onus was on the Tiger defense to figure out which of the four options the Indians would go with out of the backfield. The Tiger defense did their part, limiting the Indians to just 256 yards of total offense. Paris allowed Lawrenceville to stay within striking distance though with a pair of costly turnovers and a safety.
Paris won the opening toss and elected to defer possession until the second half. The Tiger defense held Lawrenceville to a three-and-out, forcing a punt from near midfield. As has been the case more often than not this season, the Tigers scored on their first drive of the game. In fact, the Tigers scored on their first play of the contest.
Mason Byrnes took the handoff from quarterback Drew Rogers on a play designed to go off right tackle. Byrnes did that and much more as he outran the Lawrenceville defense to find the end zone from 83 yards out for the first score of the game. Garrett Rigdon added the extra point to make it 7-0 Tigers with 10:06 left in the first period.
It appeared as though the Tigers would get the football right back following a sack from Drake East that would have made it fourth-and-18 at the Lawrenceville 35. But, a personal foul penalty made it fourth-and-two and the Indians converted to keep their drive alive. Six plays later, facing another fourth down, the Indians found the end zone from 22 yards out to tie the score at 7-7.
On the ensuing drive, Tiger fans may have been disappointed that their team did not score on the first play. Their disappointment turned to joy on the next play as Rogers hit Carter Crippes in stride toward the Tiger sideline. Crippes picked up a key block from Dawson Rogers as he out-raced a pair of Lawrenceville defenders for an 86-yard touchdown. The extra point made it 14-7 with four minutes remaining in the first.
Blessed with excellent field possession following a defensive stand and a good return from Crippes, the Tigers began their third drive at the Indian 40-yard line. Five plays later, Madox Hutchings dashed five yards into the end zone for another Tiger touchdown with 1:01 still left in the first to make it 21-7. Lawrenceville added a 27-yard field goal with 4:58 left in the half to cut the lead to 21-10 at intermission.
Just as the teams were returning for the third quarter, the game was halted due to lightning in the area. At 10:30 p.m., and following the two-and-a-half-hour delay, the third quarter resumed. Paris was backed up deep in their own territory when Drew Rogers passed to Dawson Rogers on a wide receiver screen. The combination of a wet field and a wet football led to a fumble that was recovered by the Indians at the Tiger 11-yard line. All of the pressure was on the Tiger defense to try to regain the momentum that they enjoyed in the first quarter. The defense stiffened and stopped the Indians on fourth-and-four to give possession back to the Tigers at their own four.
The very next play was a somewhat controversial one, as Rogers dropped back to pass from his own end zone. Pressure from the Lawrenceville defense forced Rogers to roll to his right and as he was hit he got rid of the football. After a brief discussion among the officials, a penalty flag was tossed. Intentional grounding was the call on the field and since the foul occurred in the end zone, the result was a safety to make the score 21-12.
By rule, the Indians would also get the football right back following the safety and they wasted little time in finding the end zone. With six minutes left, Halter scored from 30 yards out and with the extra point the score was 21-19 with six minutes left in the third.
The Tiger defense slowed the onslaught from the Lawrenceville offense for the remainder of the game. With 10:47 left in the game, the Rogers to Rogers combination connected for a 26-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 27-19 lead following a missed extra point.
Byrnes topped the century mark for the fourth-straight game with 115 yards on just nine carries, adding a touchdown as well. Rogers carried the ball eight times for 48 yards, Hutchings gained 20 yards on six touches, Rigdon added 17 yards on three carries and Crippes gained 14 yards on his only rush.
Rogers completed seven of 13 passes for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Crippes led the way with 100 receiving yards on two catches and a score. Dawson Rogers hauled in three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown, Karic Vitale caught one ball for six yards and Hutchings had one catch for five.
Paris will host Mt. Carmel (2-2, 2-0) on Friday, Sept. 27 as the Tigers celebrate Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.