Jeff Moeller, sports correspondent
The uneasiness and anxiousness felt in Wildcat Stadium throughout most of the second half was thick enough to be cut with a knife.
In the second quarter, Richmond Hill closes to within 14-9 of Lowndes when they were awarded a safety on a holding penalty in the end zone, The Wildcats then took the ensuing punt and pieced together a methodical 12-play, 55-yard drive that was capped when CJ Menzie bullied from two yards that lead to a 15-14 halftime.
Unfortunately, it was the last time Richmond Hill (5-4) scored against undefeated and state-ranked Lowndes (8-0).
The visiting Vikings stopped the Wildcats three-yard short of the end zone in the opening drive of the second half, and responded with 22 fourth-quarter points on their way to a 36-15 victory and sent the Wildcats to their fourth straight defeat.
Richmond Hill had a second shot at the go-ahead score when Lowndes cornerback Izzy Harrison was flagged for pass interference on Eli Grant on a fourth down.
But Richmond Hill failed to convert, and Lowndes took the game over with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
From there, the proverbial wind appeared to be taken out of Richmond Hill’s sails. It was a potential win that they may regret.
“I think so,” said Menzie, about the possible deflating series. “That was our game to have. I think it was just a combination of a couple of things in the second half . We should have executed better.’
Menzie, a senior who ran for 97 yards and scored both Wildcat touchdowns, and had a tender ankle after the game, saw their early momentum twindle away. It has been a growing trend, but the Wildcats have an upcoming bye week to regroup before they conclude the regular season at Valdosta Nov. 6.
“A lot of things were going our way,” added Menzie. “ I don't think it’s anything you can put your finger on. It’s just how we execute things. We got the week off, and we’ll get better. We’ll put more work in, and come back and show Valdosta that we’re not done yet.”
There may have been some thought to have Cole Morgan kick a likely chip-shot field goal to take the lead, but Wildcats’ head coach Matt LeZotte had his team’s sights on a touchdown.
LeZotte believed his club didn’t lose its edge in the second half, but missed its chances.
Lowndes stuck all night with big plays beginning with quarterback Jalen Jackson finding Kaevone Thomas on an 80-yard quick slant on the game’s first play.
In the final quarter, Jackson broke free on a 37-yard scamper, and Thomas found paydirt off an 82-yard end around. Jackson and Thomas also connected on an 13-yard lob to the corner of the end zone
“I don’t think we ever lost any wind,” said LeZotte. “We just missed opportunities. We played a really good game for three quarters. In the fourth quarter, we gave up some inopportune plays. They couldn’t drive it against us. I was really surprised, and I thought they were going to be a lot better than they were.
“Our guys played well. We have every opportunity to win that game.”
LeZotte ruled out any thoughts of a field goal.
“No, I thought we had to score touchdowns,” he added. “It would have been a really tough angle with a left-footed kicker. There were a lot of things working against us at a steep angle with the high-school hash being as wide as it is. If it were college or pro, it would have been a no-brainer. “
LeZotte pointed to his team’s schedule as a major hurdle to overcome for their troubles. They dropped their third region game (0-3).
“We’re playing good opponents,” said LeZotte. “There are no cupcakes. You play against teams that have multiple nationally ranked players on their teams. Very good players are worth points on the board.
“We’re not going back to the drawing board, but we just have to keep preparing like we have been. It’s not broken by any means. You can look back at a couple of plays that could have changed the ball game.”
The Wildcats will appreciate a week off before their battle at Valdosta, which is undefeated (8-0) and will head to a showdown at Lowndes Friday night. Cats’ senior linebacker Layton Steigelman, who was among their leading tacklers all season, was lost for the year with a knee injury suffered against East Coweta Sept. 25.
“Its a long season, and we have a lot of injuries,” said LeZotte. “We’re repping some younger guys in critical areas, but we’ll be fine.”
Senior defensive lineman Tre Brown looked at the game realistically. At this point, Brown would rather keep it rolling than have a bye week.
“I wish we could have given a little more effort, but it is what it is,” said Brown. “I would rather keep playing, and I don’t think we need a week off. We have to keep working at it.
“We have some surges, but we can’t finish. We have to keep getting better at practice. We just have to get back to work, and hopefully, things are better next time.”
Grant, another senior who caught nine passes for 97 yards, saw the game as one of missed opportunities.
“We worked on things in practice all week, but we just didn’t capitalize,” said Grant. “A couple of plays the last couple of weeks have taken us out of games. Spirits are still high, and we’ll go at it from Monday to Friday.”