Unbeaten Lucas Lovejoy Rolls to 40-13 Victory Over Hallsville

[By Jeff Henderson, Special to ETSN.fm]

FORNEY -- Freshman quarterback Bowman Sells threw for more than 300 yards to lead unbeaten Lucas Lovejoy to a 40-13 rout of Hallsville in Friday's Class 4A Division II Region II bi-district playoff at City Bank Stadium.

Sells completed 17 of 23 for 309 yards, one touchdown, and one interception as Lovejoy (11-0) outgained Hallsville 495-300. Hallsville finished 2012 with a 7-4 record.

The teams were nearly even in rushing yardage with the Bobcats edging Lovejoy 187-186, but Lovejoy controlled the air. Hallsville quarterbacks Austin Toney and Macailyn Wilder completed 10 of 26 passes for 113 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Hallsville's Thaddeus Fagan ran 16 times for 109 yards, including a 36-yard fourth-quarter touchdown. Fagan also had 32 receiving yards. Teammates Coby Bradford and Cayden Ferrill each had a sack.

Lovejoy's Dan Sefcik caught six passes for 165 yards. Cullon Oldham-Greene led Lovejoy with 77 yards on 11 carries.

The first quarter began well for the Bobcats with Hallsville’s Dionte Johnson snagging an interception to stall Lovejoy’s first drive. The success didn't last because on the ensuing play Wilder fumbled to the Leopards’ Braxton Mayfield, and that led to a Lovejoy field goal.  Hallsville roared back with a Wilder-to-Coby Bradford 11-yard touchdown pass with 1:28 left in the first quarter to cap a 15-play, 81-yard drive that gave Hallsville a 7-3 lead.

Lovejoy responded in the second quarter, aided by a failed fake punt by Hallsville, giving the Leopards a short field. Lovejoy scored three times during the second on short touchdown runs by Zach Saffle and Sefcik, as well as a interception returned for a touchdown by the Leopards’ Thomas Kotecki to close the first half up 24-7.

The teams exchanged unsuccessful possessions early the third. However, a Lovejoy punt flipped the field and eventually resulted in Oldham-Green's three-yard touchdown run for a 31-7 lead five minutes into the third. Sells then hit Sefcik on a 55-yard screen-pass TD a play after being sacked by Bradford to extend the Leopard lead to 37-7 later in the period.