Third Time is the Charm as Rangers Post First Win of the 2008 Season, 33-6, over Dixie Academy
CAMP HILL - After two close home losses, the Lyman Ward Fighting Rangers would not be denied on the road Sept. 12, thrashing Dixie Academy of Louisville, AL, 33-6, to improve to 1-2 overall on the young season. Dixie fell to 0-3.
The Rangers defensive unit stepped up in the second half, holding the homestanding Rebels scoreless to preserve its first win as a 1A member of the Alabama Independent School Association (AISA). LWMA scored two early touchdowns and led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, then added two more in the second stanza to take a 26-6 lead into halftime.
LWMA tacked on seven more points in the third quarter to seal the victory. First-year senior quarterback Justin Minor from Starkville, MS, continued to perform at a high level, scoring three touchdowns, and accounting for a fourth with a pass to senior wideout Kyle Johnson of Clermont, FL.
Minor rambled through the Rebel defense for 147 yards on 18 rushes. The savvy senior has now scored nine touchdowns (five rushing and four passing) on the season. Dixie Head Coach Mack Williams praised Minor as "the difference in the game.
"Minor threw a 60-yard pass for a touchdown while rolling out to his right, and it was a perfect strike," Williams said. "It hit the kid in stride. That's tough. That kid is a heck of an athlete. He could start at quarterback anywhere in the AISA (from Class A to AAA)."
Johnson had two pass receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown, his fourth of the season.
Freshman running back Justin Quinn from Birmingham ran for 77 yards on 22 carries and one score, his second rushing touchdown of the 2008 campaign. The Rangers' high-octane offense averages 27 points per contest through the first three games.
"The win feels good," said first-year Ranger Head Coach Sheldon Ward. "We needed it. The players are pumped about it. Next week can't get here fast enough for them."
The Rangers host Cornerstone Christian on Friday, Sept. 19, at Ranger Field. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. CST. The Chargers were 30-26 winners over Coosa Valley last weekend.