Trailing South Jones at the half, Laurel’s offense rolls in the second as Tornadoes win Region 3-5A opener

Laurel trailed South Jones 17-13 at the half. Execution was a problem on offense – among other things. 

Then came the second half. 

Todd Breland’s halftime speech had to be uncomfortable for everyone in hearing distance Friday night on The Reservation. After failing to score an offensive touchdown in the first half, Laurel outscored the Braves 29-3 in the second half with four offensive touchdowns to save face and open Region 3-5A with a 42-20 win. 

To see video highlights and hear from Laurel head football coach Todd Breland, click here: https://youtu.be/Un1pYXqAdag

South Jones stayed on script the entire game, limiting Laurel’s offensive possession as the Braves’ offense ate up valuable time off the clock with its run game on Homecoming Night. The Braves even attempted an onside kick late in the second quarter – which it recovered – to keep Laurel’s offense in limbo. 

The Tornadoes had only three offensive drives in the first half. Neither resulted in points. The middle of the three drives seemed promising until it ended with a fumble deep in Braves’ territory. 

Laurel senior Levi Walker even stepped in to help out the Braves in an odd way. His two scores in the first half, a 46-yard Pick-6 and a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, kept Laurel’s offense off the field. Both gave Laurel the lead, 7-0 and 13-7, respectively.

South Jones went on to score 10 unanswered points as Laurel made its way to the locker room down, 17-13. 

Even as offensive drives were limited in the second half, Laurel made them count. The Tornadoes scored on all four drives in the final two quarters. Three Laurel running backs found the end zone in the half. Senior backs Zias Perryman and Micheal Terrell scored on runs of 12 and nine yards, respectively, in the third quarter as junior Amir Smith found the end zone from 55 yards out midway through the final quarter. 

The final score came on a pass play late in the fourth quarter. Laurel senior quarterback Sinclair Ulmer hit sophomore wide receiver Bryce Page for a 31-yard touchdown strike and pushed Laurel in front, 42-20.

South Jones’ only second-half score was a 29-yard field goal by junior kicker Mark Diers. Diers also hit a 20-yard attempt in the final few seconds of the second quarter that gave the Braves a 17-13 lead at the half. 

Other scores by South Jones included a 15-yard scramble and a one-yard leap over the offensive line by senior quarterback John Mitchell – both in the first half. 

Mitchell finished with 131 yards on 21 rushing attempts. 

Laurel improves to 2-3 overall, 1-0 in Region 3-5A, and will host Brookhaven next Friday night. South Jones falls to 3-3, 0-1 in Region 3-5A, and travels to Forest Hill next week.