A second-half quarterback change took Signal Mountain out of the doldrums and into a chance to steal a win on its final possession Friday night in front of its home fans, but the Red Bank defense had other plans.
Drew Lowry, the senior receiver-turned-quarterback, miraculously extended Signal Mountain’s final drive twice with his arm, but his final pass of the night bounced off an Eagle’s hands to crown Red Bank the 20-13 winner in the heated rivalry game inside Region 3-3A.
Lowry passed for 101 yards with a pair of touchdowns after being inserted into the quarterback role at halftime. On the winning side, the Lions were led by Lumiere Strickland offensively with 92 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. Senior receiver Calvin Jackson also added two touchdowns on the ground.
“It was definitely frustrating towards the end, but in the end they came out and did what we expected them to,” Red Bank coach Chris Brown said after his second career win with the Lions (2-0). “They were explosive in the passing game. They can exploit your weakness if you’re not dialed in. They made some great plays that put us in some tough situations, but we got the one stop that we needed.”
Before the halftime break, Red Bank grounded the Eagles quickly with the tune of three touchdowns on its first four possessions. Jackson capped a 13-play opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown run out of the backfield. About six minutes later, a Tyler Jones interception return set up another Jackson touchdown run for a 14-point lead.