Although it was five-star linebacker Lyndell “Mack” Wilson and the G.W. Carver football team that was supposed to be the main attraction on Thursday night, it was Robert E. Lee High School that impressed those on hand in the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery and came away with a 34-13 victory to end a 13-year winning streak by Carver.
The game got out of hand early after Lee (2-0) scored on their first three possessions and added a pick-six to take a 28-0 lead with 9:05 remaining in the first half. Lee spent most of the night running their offense in the opposite direction of Lyndell and basically made him a non-factor in the contest. He finished with four solo tackles and three assists.
“We came out kind of relaxed. We kind of played down to the level of the competition,” said Wilson. “I just feel like we weren’t as focused as we were supposed to be and how we’re used to being. I feel if we come out fast enough and play hard and do our assignments, stuff would be way better.”
After a blocked field goal late in the second quarter, Wilson and the Wolverines (0-1) went into halftime with some momentum and went on to score 13 straight to start the second half.
“It was a great momentum swing. I think our guy Branden Northern, our inside linebacker, blocked it and if we would have returned it, that would have given us a whole lot of momentum. We went back in and talked about everything and we came out and gave it the best we could give. We played as hard as we could.”
Carver was driving again in Generals territory with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter when quarterback D.J. Patterson threw an interception to Daniel Thomas to put an end to the comeback. Lee scored on it’s next possession to put the game away.
This was the Generals’ first win over Carver since 2002. When asked what the Wolverines would do to bounce back, Wilson said: “We’re looking to change a lot of things. Like coach said, we’ve got to work harder at practice, we’ve got to buy in more and most of all, we’ve got to be disciplined. I just feel like I’ve got to be more of a leader, talking to my team and getting them mentally prepared for everything that we do. I kind of fault myself for the defensive side and the offensive side because like I said, I’m a leader. I’m a leader of the whole team and I feel like I’m not talking to my team enough to get them prepared and pushing them through practice. Sunday, there’s going to be a whole different meeting and we’re going to get it right.”
Derek J. Hooper is a Recruiting Analyst for Touchdown Alabama. You can follow him on Twitter @derekjhooper.
