Lakeside and Effingham County played one of the most entertaining high school football games of the season Monday night, Oct. 14, and the Panthers earned a 58-38 victory in region play.
When it mattered most, Ty Jones, the Panthers’ star quarterback, made the plays necessary, with plenty of help from B.J. and Mi’Keal Grissom. The victory improved Lakeside to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the region—good for a program-tying, seven-game winning streak.
Jones finished with 136 yards rushing on 13 carries and a touchdown while getting a key fourth-quarter interception, while B.J. Grissom had 144 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns.
“Our ability to run the ball was awesome tonight,” said Lakeside Coach Steve Hibbitts.
The Rebels (3-2, 3-4) were by quarterback Tucker Perkins, who would finish with 271 passing yard on 18 completions in 30 attempts and one interception.
“They’re good,” Hibbitts said of Effingham County. “They’ve been scoring 45, 50 points a game. If you’re not up two scores on them, you are kind of like, man, you don’t have a cushion.”
The Panthers now will play at No. 9 Brunswick (5-0, 6-1) on Friday, Oct. 18, in the biggest game of the season for both teams—with the region championship likely decided in the contest.
Lakeside outscored Monday night’s visitors 28-10 in the second after a close first half. They Panthers also controlled the clock and kept the Rebels’ high-powered offense off the field for the most part.
Trailing 30-28 at the half, Effingham County took a 35-30 lead when quarterback Tucker Perkins hit Jaques King with a nine-yard touchdown pass and Michael Deien added the PAT with 9:49 left in the third quarter.
Then Lakeside’s Jones started a nine-play, 60-yard drive with a 14-yard run and had a key third-down pass for nine yards to Solomon Humphreys that put LHS at the Effingham 11-yard line. Jones had a six-yard run to set up first and goal before Jack Thexton went over from the one-yard line. William Brandenburg’s PAT kick made it 38-35 in favor of the Panthers.
The Rebels got their last score on a 27-yard field goal by Deien for a 38-38 tie with 1:05 left in the third.
That’s when Jones and the Grissoms took center stage and put the game away. Jones led a 59-yard drive that consumed five minutes and 18 seconds to start the fourth quarter. B.J. Grissom went over from eight yards out, and Brandenburg made the PAT kick for 45-38.
Then after Grissom sacked Perkins, Corbin Velez tipped an Effingham County punt, and Mi’Keal Grissom returned the punt 30 yards for a touchdown. A bad snap on the extra punt left the score 51-38.
Jones sealed matters with a 50-yard interception return, and B.J. Grissom did the rest with a four-yard TD run. Brandenburg nailed the extra point for the final margin.
In the first half, the two teams put on an offensive exhibition with Lakeside gaining a 30-28 edge behind the play of Jones and B.J. Grissom. Jones scored on a 61-yard run and Grissom on a 55-yard run to spearhead the Panthers’ offense.
Lakeside opened the game with a 96-yard drive that resulted in a one-yard touchdown run by Thexton. Brandenburg’s PAT kick made it 7-0 with 6:21 left in the first quarter.
The Rebels countered with a quick-strike drive of their own. Perkins hit Jmere Doe-Davis for a 41-yard touchdown on a shovel pass. Michael Deien made the PAT for a 7-7 tie with 5:08 remaining in the half.
After a Lakeside punt, Effingham County went ahead on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Perkins to Ryan Wells. Again, Deien nailed the PAT kick for a 14-7 Rebel advantage. The score was set up by a 30-yard run J.R. McKenzie.
Tristen Jones returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to set up Lakeside’s next score. Then Ty Jones drove the Panthers right down the field and hit Humphreys on a 11-yard scoring toss. Brandenburg hit the kick for a 14-14 tie.’
It did not take the Rebels long to retake the lead. Perkins drove his team on a 10-play, 85-yard drive. The Effingham County quarterback hit Jaques King on a 14-yard toss for the TD. Deien added the extra point for a 21-14 Rebel lead.
But Lakeside scored the next 16 points to go up 30-21. Grissom’s 55-yarder started the spurt, with Brandenburg tying the game with this PAT kick. Brandenburg then tried an onside kick, and teammate Mi’Keal Grissom made the recovery. The Panthers did not score immediately, but after Joey Curkovic’s 40-yard punt, the Lakeside defense stiffened. On fourth down, Lakeside got a safety when the Rebels snapped the ball out of the end zone for a 23-21 Panther edge.
Jones then raced 61 yards for his touchdown, and Brandenburg made the extra point for a 30-21 LHS lead.
However, the Rebels came right back with a 40-yard touchdown by Doe-Davis. Deien’s kick made it 30-28.
Yes, it was a highly entertaining game, as Effingham County finished with 476 totals yards and Lakeside 447 total yards.
But it was Jones’ interception and the tipped punt that made the difference in the end. Those set up Lakeside with a major trip to Brunswick for a third game in eight days after the season’s disruption caused by Hurricane Helene.
David Bulla is a communication professor at Augusta University.
