LAKELAND — Lakeland’s defensive stand early in the third quarter as Tampa Gaither was threatening to tie the score gave momentum back to the Dreadnaughts, who then dominated the rest of the game.
The Dreadnaughts’ 41-13 victory on Friday night at Bryant Stadium in the Class 5A, Region 2 semifinal certainly was a decisive final score that obscures the fact that Gaither was making it a game after trailing early by 20 points.
Malik Morris, however, made sure there wasn’t going to be an upset. Morris rushed for 51-yard touchdown for the game’s first score early in the first quarter then put the Dreadnaughts’ up by three scores, 34-13, with his 43-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the third quarter.
More importantly, Lakeland moved Morris to defensive tackle in the third quarter to help with the pass rush. The Dreadnaughts came up with five sacks in the second half after failing to get to Gaither quarterback EJ Archibald Jr. in the first half.
“He (Morris) is special,” Lakeland coach Marvin Frazier said. “I’ve been telling everybody for awhile, I think he’s the best player int he country. I think everybody can see that soon. You can use him all difference places. He played linebacker, tailback, and he played defensive line tonight. So his impact was felt everywhere.”
Archield, who was sacked five times for minus-47 yards in the second half, provided the only offense Gaither could muster. He threw for 236 yards, but 151 yards came in the first half — most of it in the second quarter. After completing his first pass of the second half for 38 yards, Archield managed just 47 yards the rest of the game.
“Honestly, we were just doing what we got to do,” Morris said. “We had to stay with the plan, stay all part of the process, just being consistent and trying to fight back. There going to be plays where you mess up, but you got to have that mentality.”
Lakeland surged to a 20-point lead in the first quarter, but Gaither’s only sustained drive and a Lakeland fumble on a punt return in the second quarter made it a game. The Dreadnaughts led at halftime, 20-13 and was receiving the second-half kickoff.
For the second time in the game, Lakeland fumbled the high kickoff, and Gaither recovered it at the Lakeland 40.
Archield’s 38-yard completion gave the Cowboys 1st-and-goal at the 2. Two sacks, an incomplete pass and a Gaither penalty forced the Cowboys to attempt a 42-yard field. The attempt was blocked, and Lakeland responded with a 13-play, 80-yard drive with quarterback Chad Williams scoring from the 2-yard line.
That score gave Lakeland a two-score cushion that was increased to three scores when Morris returned the fumble for a touchdown.
While Gaither threw the ball nearly every play, Lakeland was content to run the ball. The Dreadnaughts rushed for 246 yards on 38 carries with Jadarious Dobie leading the way. He finished with 73 yards. Quarterback Chad Williams threw for 88 yards.
Lakeland will host Tampa Bay Tech in the 5A-2 region finals at 7:30 p.m. on Black Friday.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland defeats Tampa Gaither in FHSAA 5A-2 region semifinals
