AMS Rabbs dominate Liberty-Eylau

B Game

Atlanta 28 L-E 21 Atlanta Middle School’s football program took on rival Liberty-Eylau last Thursday night and picked up big wins as the Rabbs swept the Leopards.

Atlanta’s defense got a big stop to open the game, then Alex Bishop romped 46 yards for the score on the ensuing drive.

L-E got on the board on their next drive to even the score. On the next Atlanta drive, Bishop raced 56 yards for another score.

Cole Hanner made a big tackle for a loss to stop the Leopards’ next drive before L-E forced a Rabbit punt and scored to tie the game at 14.

On the ensuing Atlanta drive, Bishop sliced through the defense again from 70 yards out for another TD. L-E scored again to tie the game later, but Bishop came up big once again, this time he intercepted a Leopard pass and took it all the way back to win the game for Atlanta.

7A Game

Atlanta 40 L-E 16 First quarter - Zay Smith opened the game with a huge run, deep into L-E territory. Cruz Crosby finished the drive with a 16-yard run. Jataevion Ware added a 2-point run to put Atlanta up 8-0. The defense stood tall on the Leopards’ opening drive.

Second quarter - On the ensuing Rabbit drive, Jordan Crenshaw handed the ball to Jkyron Anderson on the reverse, who found a wide-open Jayden Moore, into Leopard territory. Smith got another big run down inside the 5-yard line.

Crosby found Crenshaw in the flats a couple plays later for the score. JT McNeal added the 2-point run to push the lead to 16-0.

The Leopards put together a nice drive and scored on a pass over the middle to cut into the Rabbit lead, 16-8.

It didn’t take Atlanta long to answer back. Just as the half was expiring Crosby found Marquez Anderson in the corner of the endzone, Crosby added the 2-point run to make it 24-8 at the half.

Third quarter- Smith got the Rabbs on the board quickly with a 36-yard dash around the left edge. Anderson added the 2-point run to increase the Rabbs’ lead to 32-8. Before the quarter ended the Rabbs’ defense got another big stop.

Fourth quarter- McNeal extended Atlanta’s lead on a 17-yard scamper. Crosby added a 2-point run to push the score to 40-8.

The Leopards added a late score, but the Rabbs finished with a dominant performance. The seventh grade Rabbs move to 5-1 on the season.

8A Game

Atlanta 24 L-E 16 First quarter - In a battle of two very talented teams, there was bound to be some chaos. The Rabbit defense was the story of the game from the opening drive.

L-E went backwards and was forced to punt. The snap was low and the Rabbs took over at the L-E 16yard line.

It only took the Rabbs a couple of plays to score after runs from Kelvin Roberson and Brayden Thompson.

Roberson punched it in from one yard out and added the 2-point run to make it 8-0 early on. The Leopard offense went backwards once again, giving the Rabbits great field position after another 3-andout.

The Rabbits put together a nice drive but fumbled the ball inside the L-E 5-yard line. Atlanta’s defense stoned the Leopards again and the offense put together another great drive as Howell raced into the endzone from 16 yards out. Unfortunately, the score was negated by a holding penalty.

On the next play, the Leopards intercepted a Rabbit pass in the endzone and returned all the way back for the score to tie the game 8-8.

The Leopards recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff.

The Rabbit defense forced another fourth-andlong, but L-E was able to capitalize on a reverse that went all the way for a score.

With the TD L-E extended its lead to 16-8. The Rabbits’ next drive would end in another turnover in the red zone. L-E took a 16-8 lead into the locker room, without gaining a single first down.

Third quarter - The Rabbits came out on fire to start the second half.

Atlanta put the game on the shoulders of their offensive line and their two headed monster at tailback Howell and Roberson.

Both players had big runs on the drive and Howell finally burst through multiple tackles on a 36-yard jaunt. Roberson barreled into the endzone on the 2-point run to tie the game at 16 apiece.

On the ensuing Leopard drive, their offense was stuck in reverse once again and the Leopards were forced to punt again on fourth and very long.

A good punt flipped the field and pinned the Rabbits back deep in their own territory.

Fourth quarter - The Rabbits put together another punishing drive on offense by keeping the ball on the ground the entire drive.

Howell broke loose again, taking the ball into Leopard territory. After a couple tough runs from Roberson, Howell got into the endzone again, from 19 yards out.

This gave the Rabbits the lead and Roberson extended it to eight after the 2-point run, 24-16.

The Leopards tried to get the passing game going on the next drive but the first pass fell incomplete and was broken by Thompson. On the next play, Gaven Bumphus intercepted an errant pass over the middle at the Atlanta 39-yard line.

With less than four minutes remaining, the Rabbs needed two first downs to ice the game. Atlanta leaned on the run game once again. The offensive line continued to dominate, opening holes for Howell and Roberson to run through.

Atlanta easily picked up two first downs and ran out the clock to set the score at 24-16. Atlanta’s eighth grade football team moved to 6-0 on the season.

The big story of the game was Atlanta’s dominant defense and tough run game. Liberty-Eylau did not pick up a single first down the entire game and the Rabbits’ run game dominated once again. Howell finished the game with 16 carries for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

AMS football is back in action this Thursday at Tatum.