CHATSWORTH, Ga. - The sense of accomplishment hit Bo Campbell as his players celebrated around him on a wet, chilly Friday night in late October.
The Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe football coach could only smile, glowing in the aftermath of a 19-9 win at North Murray that sets the Warriors up for a GHSA Region 6-AAA championship game at mighty Calhoun next Friday.
The victory, achieved with a punishing 342-yard rushing night and solid defense in the second half, also gives LFO (7-2, 6-1) at least one home playoff game for the first time since 2004.
"This is a prime example that you can go to a program that is struggling and put together a fine coaching staff and have great kids who believe and work hard and turn things around," Campbell said. "We were 0-10, 1-9 and 5-5, and now we're hosting a playoff game.
"These guys are so resilient. My goodness, it was very frustrating the first three quarters, but our guys didn't quit and we moved the ball well in the fourth quarter when we needed it."
Elusive Jacob Brown led the LFO attack with 149 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries, with workhorse fullback Nathan Williams adding 108 yards and a score on 27 carries.
The Warriors led just 12-9 at halftime, scoring on two time-consuming drives, but their final second-quarter series, which accumulated more than 100 yards due to penalties, ended with a 25-yard field-goal attempt being blocked. The Mountaineers (5-4, 4-3), who also have clinched a playoff berth, used the hard running of Noah Lunsford and quarterback Preston Poag Jr.'s scrambling to put together a pair of long scoring drives to get within three points after LFO had built a 12-0 lead.
LFO's frustration heightened in the third quarter after its first drive of the period ended with Ruddy Ware's fumble into the end zone after an 11-yard run. The Warriors' second drive of the quarter was halted when Williams fumbled at the North Murray 13.
The Warriors' defense, though, was hounding Poag and consistently getting into the backfield. The Mountaineers managed only 34 total yards after halftime. LFO finally put the game away in the fourth quarter with an eight-play, 77-yard drive that featured runs of 30 and 17 yards by Brown, the second one getting in the end zone for a 10-point lead.
"Jacob Brown constantly moves 110 miles per hour, so I'm never surprised when he's out there getting things done," Campbell said. "It was nice to see that drive end with points.
"Also, our defensive staff did a great job making some adjustments in the second half. We wanted to contain Poag. He did a great job of scrambling on us in the first half, so we wanted to make him keep it and throw the ball downfield more in the second half."
Poag, among the area's leading passers with more than 1,600 yards this season, totaled 50 rushing yards and just 74 through the air against the Warriors. Lunsford had 78 yards on 16 carries.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.