Circumstances were not where Ryan Earnest would have preferred they be.
They changed for the better Friday night in Ellisville, though, especially in the third quarter.
Down 21-13 in the second half against friend and mentor Todd Breland’s South Jones Braves, Earnest and company erased the deficit with 21 unanswered points as Laurel (1-3) earned it’s first win of the season, 34-21.
The victory gives Laurel a 1-0 start in Region 3-5A.
"The circumstances before tonight were not what we wanted them to be, but once the ball was kicked off, we were trying to beat South Jones, and they were trying to beat Laurel," said Earnest. "I have tons of respect for Coach Breland. He's one of my mentors in this profession. I love him, and he's like a father figure to me.”
Before the night, both Breland and Earnest pursued their first win as head coaches of their new programs. Breland stepped down as Laurel's head coach after eight seasons in December of last year. Earnest was immediately named his successor. Weeks later, in January of this year, Breland was named head coach at South Jones.
"Everything I've done in this profession, he's had a hand in," said Earnest. "I love [Breland], and I've learned so much from him. He's a great guy and a first-class gentleman. Breland has [South Jones] going in the right direction. That was a different ball club than we saw on film last week, and that is a testament to who he is."
Consistency, Earnest said, was key to Laurel’s second half surrection.
“That is what it came down too,” added Earnest. “We challenged our guys offensively at halftime. And they responded. Young guys stepped up and made some plays, and as you can see, it’s always better when 10 [Xavier Evans] is on the field. He’s not 100 percent. He’s about 70 percent, but 70 percent of him is better than a lot of guys at 100 percent in the state.”
Evans missed Laurel’s first three games with an injury.
The senior running back and sometimes quarterback passed for a touchdown and rushed for two more. Both rushing touchdowns came after Laurel tied the game 21-21 late in the third quarter.
"It felt good to be back out there with my team," said Evans. "But most importantly, we got the job done as a team.
"We've been though adversity before. But we knew we had to come out in the second half and play hard."
South Jones led 14-13 going into the break.
“We had too many drops, too many missed throws, but that’s going to happen,” said Earnest. “But that’s the ebbs and flows of football.
“What I’m most proud of is how our guys were able to overcome that. That shows a lot of character for this ball club. We’re not where we want to be, but we’re going to get there.”
Crazy Final Two-Minutes of the First Half:
The last two minutes for the first half was action-packed. Trailing Laurel 7-0, Jaquan McGilberry picked off Tornadoes senior quarterback Dexter Scott and virtually ran untouched to the end zone.
Laurel answered on the ensuing kickoff. Senior Okeme Parker fumbled the kick, scooped up the ball, and ran it back to put Laurel on top once again 13-7. The point-after attempt was no good.
With 36.5 remaining, South Jones sophomore quarterback Luke Griffin hit senior wide receiver, BJ Hawthorne, on a slant for a one-play, 65-yard scoring drive. The point after pushed the Braves ahead 14-13 at the break.
Quote of the Night:
"This is my dream job," said Earnest. "This is where I've always wanted to be. Circumstances were not where we wanted them to be, but that's life. The good Lord prepares us in different ways. And we don't know what the future holds, but I'm proud of my guys. I'm proud of the way we fought, and I'm proud of the way they responded to the challenge.
“We have a lot of work to do. But I’m proud of the way we responded tonight.”
What’s Next:
Laurel travels next Friday night again to face Brookhaven in another Region 3-5A contest. South Jones was scheduled to play West Jones next Friday night, but that game has been moved to Oct. 30.
