It took a big play on defense late in the second quarter for Red Bank to enter halftime of Friday night's Region 3-AAA home game against Brainerd with the lead.
An even bigger second half made the final result anything but a close call, but coach Chris Brown knows his team had to fight hard for the 40-6 victory that kept the Lions undefeated through eight games overall and four in league play.
The Panthers fell to 0-8, 0-4, but they got Brown's attention.
"All the credit to Brainerd - they played their hearts out and came over with a great game plan," Brown said. "We just buckled down in the second half and revisited our fundamentals. They present a lot of challenges on offense, and I'm proud of how we came back out and played."
For much of the first half, Brainerd played aggressively on defense and dominated the line of scrimmage on almost every down to keep the game close, with the Panthers penetrating into the backfield to keep Red Bank from establishing the offensive tempo it preferred.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Lions struck first as Lumiere Strickland carried the ball five times during an 11-play, 66-yard touchdown drive, finishing it with a tough 1-yard run up the gut for six points. The extra-point kick failed.
With the Lions' stout defense filling gaps and running lanes, the Panthers took to the air on the following drive and started to find success moving the ball. Xiyeer Lattimore followed his 44-yard pass by connecting with receiver Jayln Dupree in the right flat on the next play for a tying 12-yard touchdown. A pass for two points failed, keeping it tied at 6-all.
The Lions went four-and-out on their next possession, but then their defense stepped up to provide points. A tipped ball from a Lattimore screen pass allowed linebacker Silas Garibay to intercept and return the ball 17 yards for a 12-6 lead - this time, a run for two failed - with 1:51 left in the first half.
In the third quarter, Strickland was on defense when he jumped the route of the receiver he was covering to pick off Lattimore, returning the ball 50 yards to set up Reco Trimble's 12-yard touchdown run. Strickland added his own 12-yard touchdown midway through the quarter before leaving the game with an injury, and he finished with 14 carries for 108 yards.
Contact Justin Dempsey at sports@timesfreepress.com.