Sonoraville running back Zach Lyles tries to get away from a LaFayette defender as quarterback Jaxon Pate looks on.
Sonoraville defender Brant Bryant tries to bat down a LaFayette pass.
Sonoraville defensive back Chase Bonds looks for yardage after intercepting a LaFayette pass.
A Sonoraville defender puts a LaFayette ballcarrier on the ground.
A Sonoraville ballcarrier tries to escape a LaFayette defender.
Sonoraville running back Zach Lyles looks to turn the corner against the LaFayette defense.
Sonoraville running back Zach Lyles tries to get away from a LaFayette defender as quarterback Jaxon Pate looks on.
Sonoraville defender Brant Bryant tries to bat down a LaFayette pass.
Sonoraville defensive back Chase Bonds looks for yardage after intercepting a LaFayette pass.
A Sonoraville defender puts a LaFayette ballcarrier on the ground.
A Sonoraville ballcarrier tries to escape a LaFayette defender.
Sonoraville running back Zach Lyles looks to turn the corner against the LaFayette defense.
Sonoraville won its second consecutive non-Region game Friday night, rallying from a shaky start to defeat fomer 6-3A mate LaFayette, 28-17, on the Ramblers’ turf.
The home team intercepted Phoenix junior quarterback Jaxon Pate twice in the first five minutes of the game to take the lead early, but Sonoraville got things rolling after that and used two touchdowns less than 15 seconds apart in the second quarter to take an advantage they would never surrender.
The Big Red got the ball to start, but on the second play of the game, the Ramblers’ tipped a Pate pass at the line of scrimmage and then got the pick, giving them the ball at the visitors’ 17-yard-line.
Two plays later, quarterback Zach Barrett raced 12 yards for the touchdown and following the point-after try, the Rambers were in front 7-0 with 9:42 left in the first period.
It appeared they would open it up even farther a couple of minutes later when they got another interception, giving them the ball in Sonoraville territory. They got close to the Phoenix 25, but had an incomplete pass on a fake field goal attempt on fourth down and couldn’t build on their early good fortune.
Sonoraville looked like they would get on the board as the first quarter came to a close when the Phoenix moved inside the LaFayette 10 on the strength of a Pate 19-yard run and a Zach Lyles 14-yard run. But a 26-yard field goal attempt two minutes into the second period kept them behind by a touchdown.
The Phoenix threatened again a couple of minutes later when they reached the LaFayette 22-yard-line. But on fourth-and-two, a short run came up just shy of the first-down marker and the Ramblers got the ball back.
On their next possession, though, the visitors tied the game up when Pate and Lyles hooked up on a 64-yard catch-and-run toutchdown to get them on the scoreboard. Sophomore kicker Mateo Trullio drilled the extra-point try and the game was deadlocked at seven with 3:21 showing until halftime.
They then attempted a pop-up kickoff and Kayson Shaw corralled the bouncing ball, allowing the Firebirds to keep possession and putting them at the Rambler 22. On the first snap of the series, Pate found senior wide receiver Brant Bryant for the 22-yard touchdown pass and Trullio’s PAT gave them a 14-7 advantage, which they owned at halftime.
It would remain that way until midway through the third when the Phoenix would score again.
Taking a punt at their own 44, the drive began with a Wyatt Key 17-yard run and ended three plays later, when Bryant took a reverse hand-off and raced 26 yards to the touchdown. Trullio added another PAT and the Phoenix were up 21-7 with 4:52 left in the third.
At that point, the Ramblers came back with their only long drive of the night. Using 10 plays, they went 63 yards with a Khalas Finley one-yard touchdown run pulling them within one score at 21-14 and just 31.9 ticks showing on the third quarter clock.
A Finley 22-yard run and a LaFayette 14-yard pass were the big plays on the drive.
However, the Phoenix answered back in a big way. After an ineligible man downfield penalty wiped out a first down and then a sack on Pate put them back at their own 16-yard-line, the visitors’ had an 84-yard touchdown pass and took a 28-14 lead with exactly nine minutes to play in the game.
The Ramblers answered with one final scoring drive, choosing to kick a 34-yard field goal on fourth down with 6:01 to go to finish the scoring on the night.
From there, Sonoraville played keep away, picking up four first downs to run out the clock and improve to 3-1 on the year.
The Phoenix will complete its non-Region schedule next Friday night back at The Furnace, when they take on neighboring Calhoun. The Yellow Jackets are 2-2 on the year after losing to Cedartown Friday evening.
LaFayette fell to 1-2 with the loss and the Ramblers will stay at home next week, opening their Region 6-3A schedule Friday night against Ringgold.
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