Yellow Jackets top Southern Lee, earn playoff spot
For the 2025 edition of the Brick City Bowl, 5-4 Lee County made the quick trip to 1-8 Southern Lee for the ever-bitter rivalry.
The visitors emerged victorious for a 27-18 win, taking third in the Carolina Pines 6A Conference. The Yellow Jackets drew the 13th seed and will host No. 20 Westover Friday at 7 p.m.
The Cavaliers received the ball first on Lee Senior’s deference after winning the toss. The Jackets started with a looping squib kick, which was recovered at the Southern Lee 32.
Two quick rushes by Kessler Petrarca got the first down yardage, but a late pop forced a fumble, and Chas Osborne popped up with possession at the 37.
Offside by the Cavaliers cut the first down yardage down to just five, and Brandon Baldwin shuffled himself all the way down to the 15 past a flurry of flags. Holding was the call on the outside on a sweep, forcing a Lee Senior first and 11. Baldwin, the Jackets’ workhorse back, grabbed yardage to make it third and five. A hard count by Lee Senior finally rewarded the visitors with their first first down of the night.
A deep shot from Aiden Poole to Javonte Randall in the end zone was broken up in single coverage by Petrarca, and Baldwin thought he finally found pay dirt on a near-30-yard scamper on the next play, but another hold brought it back once again. Southern Lee signaled for its first timeout at the 9:14 mark of the first quarter.
A Yellow Jacket run was blown up coming out of the timeout to make it third and 11, but Poole fired a laser to Lincoln Smith for the first down yardage at the 15 after slipping in the backfield. The drive fizzled out there, resulting in a 32-yard field goal off the toe of Alex Borrell for a 3-0 lead with 6:59 to play in the opening quarter.
A mix of pass and run got the first down for the Cavaliers on the next drive, with Petrarca catching a quick screen and Amari Britton using his legs to get the yardage just a hair shy of the 50. A big run by Kaiden Blackshear-Watson set up third and short, and a quick handoff to Tommy Lineberry, the up back, got the final nine feet and crossed midfield.
Another third and a few befell the Cavs, but a false start pushed it back to third and eight. A deep bomb from Ben Harrington to Petrarca down the left sidelines saw Petrarca not only make the catch, but draw the pass interference penalty by Dylan Jones — or so it was thought, until it was ruled incomplete, but the penalty yardage was awarded. Disaster unfolded once more for the hosts on the next play, and the second straight drive ended in a turnover via fumble.
The Jackets made quick work of the next possession, getting it to the 50 in just a couple of plays. Cavalier Jordan Tipton came up with a sack of Poole, though, for a loss of six yards for second and 16. Another sack, this time by Lineberry, ended the drive and forced a Lee County punt to the Southern Lee 18, before a holding penalty pushed it back to the eight in the early moments of the second quarter.
The ensuing drive netted few yards, ending at fourth and four at the 16, resulting in a poor Southern Lee punt. The advantageous field possession for the Jackets got even better on a sideline interference penalty on the Cavaliers, with Lee Senior beginning at their opponents’ 38.
Two plays into this Jacket drive saw Baldwin take off for the biggest play of the night, being tackled at the Southern Lee nine for first and goal. A personal foul on Lee County eventually made it second and goal from the 21.
All that did was give Baldwin more running room, as he took it for 17 yards down to the four. A wildcat rush from Cody Graham broke the goal line for the first time on the night at the 8:25 mark. Borrell tacked on the extra point for the 10-0 lead.
Lee County’s stifling defense continued to allow very little from the night’s hosting team on the next drive, this time giving up just a few feet. Graham’s bruising punt return landed at Southern Lee’s 28, setting up another good drive for the Yellow Jackets.
That drive never came to fruition on two incomplete Poole passes and a five-yard run from Baldwin. Instead of a touchdown, the sure-footed Borrell marched out for the 39-yard field goal, putting Lee County up 13-0 with 5:57 left in the half.
Things continued moving in the Jackets’ favor, as Dylan Jones picked off a Harrington pass at the Lee Senior 35 and returned it for a large gain before handing it to Zach Williams, who took it all the way to the Cavaliers’ six. A couple of plays later, Baldwin marched in unabated for another score on the ground. The point-after successfully split the uprights for the 20-0 lead, still with 4:26 left in the opening half.
Southern Lee’s biggest play of the half came on a Harrington to Petrarca connection on second and a mile, moving the Cavaliers all the way down to the Jackets’ 22, prompting a Lee Senior timeout. Two plays later, Harrington and a wide-open Petrarca connected, with Petrarca laying out for the fingertip grab in the back of the end zone. The two-point conversion was no good, and the score sat at 20-6 with 3:22 left in the first half.
Southern Lee’s Timmy Lineberry was playing with his hair on fire on the next Jacket drive, and he and Brandon Caldwell plugged a hole to force third down and 11, a down on which Poole’s pass fell incomplete. A Lee County punt went out of bounds at the Southern Lee 18 with 1:16 left in the second quarter.
Harrington uncorked a pass to Jaylin Barnes down the left sideline with just six seconds remaining in the half, landing the Cavaliers well within striking distance at the 11. Harrington couldn’t get the ball away on the next play, eating up the clock.
SECOND HALF
Lee County’s opening drive of the second half resulted in a three-and-out, with the Cavalier defense standing strong early to thwart an attack.
Penalties still continued to get in the way for Southern Lee.
Not even three minutes into the third quarter, both teams had a chance with the ball and did relatively little with it. Lee Senior’s Destry Smith threw an interception to Jaylin Barnes on a trick play, turning the ball over for the third time with 8:52 left in the third.
On the following drive, sophomore Caleb Coro subbed in at QB for Southern Lee, who started marching the Cavaliers, connecting on multiple passes as he looked to be the spark the Cavaliers needed.
Southern Lee came to life, getting all the way to the Lee County 40 for fourth and a couple. Harrington made the yardage on a keeper.
For everything good the Cavaliers were doing, they took away even more on a penalty. Third and 15 on a hold became fourth and five on a catch and run out of the backfield by Britton, but Coro and Barnes couldn’t connect on the slant, and the hosts turned it over on downs.
The Cavaliers forced a Borrell punt on the Yellow Jackets’ next drive.
After a defensive pass interference on the Jackets, Robert Myers answered a play later with an interception, returning it to Southern Lee’s 35.
The quarter would end before the drive finished, though, as first and goal at the one awaited Lee Senior to begin the fourth.
Only seven seconds elapsed as Baldwin high-kneed his way into the end zone on the first play of the final quarter. Borrell’s kick was good at the 11:53 mark, making it 27-6.
A huge connection from Coro to Avery Harrington moved Southern Lee across the 50 on their next drive, and a personal foul on Lee Senior placed it at the 22.
Lee Senior’s Destry Smith got retribution for the pick he threw on offense earlier and grabbed one of his own on defense in the red zone at the 7:51 mark, returning it to the 36 before a face mask on the Cavaliers moved it to the Southern Lee 49.
A Yellow Jacket drive stalled out, giving it back to the Cavaliers.
A deep slant from Coro to Petrarca added some points with under four minutes to go on a 72-yard catch and run by the junior wide receiver. The two-point conversion was no good, and the score stood at 27-12 with 3:38 to play.
The Cavaliers took back over with more than two minutes left. A deep strike from Coro to Jordan for a 38-yard drop into a bucket tightened the score to 27-18, and an unsuccessful two-point conversion kept it there with 1:02 left.
An unsuccessful onside kick gave it back to the visitors, and the Yellow Jackets drained the clock.
The Jackets moved to 6-4 and into the top 32 teams in the state’s RPI rankings, granting them a spot in the NCHSAA playoffs.
The Cavaliers fell to 1-9 on the season.
