Lenox rolls past state-ranked Fremont-Mills

With the District 9 title on the line, Lenox co-coach Michael Nardini said the game plan going into the matchup with Fremont-Mills was to attack.

Fremont-Mills’ (6-2) first possession gave the Tigers’ (8-0) defense a chance to demonstrate the strategy, and they continued to attack, leading to a decisive 28-2 victory.

A penalty, tackle for loss and incomplete pass resulted in a loss of 5 and a punt on the Knights’ opening drive.

While the Tigers were unable to capitalize on their first drive, they came back hard on defense, forcing a third and 23 with 4:18 left in the first quarter.

“We came out ready to go,” Nardini said. “Our kids were mentally focused, and that was huge. We can’t sit back and let Fremont try to do what they do because they’re good at it and they’re physical.”

In their second possession, the Tigers’ offense found its stride. Senior running back Keigan Kitzman, rushed for 12 yards on second and 9 to pick up Lenox’s first first down of the game. Kitzman ended the matchup with 17 carries for 90 yards and 20 receiving yards.

A couple short rushes by senior Isaac Grundman, another by Kitzman and a keeper by sophomore quarterback Gabe Funk (#17), left the Tigers at fourth down and 2 inside the Fremont-Mills 10. Grundman logged 14 carries for 73 yards and 19 receiving yards.

Lenox went for it with Kitzman as the ball carrier. He had enough to pick up 3 yards and the first down before the end of the first quarter.

Nardini said they made the call to go for it based on where they were in the game. “I knew we were close to the end zone. That’s what we wanted to do,” he said. “We knew we had to capitalize on drives. That’s a big momentum thing, and our kids did capitalize on that.”

A series of losses left the Tigers starting the second quarter with a long third down, but Funk broke away for a 13-yard touchdown run. Kitzman was able to break tackles to punch the ball in for the 2-point conversion, putting Lenox up 8-0 with 11:21 left in the half. Funk was four of seven for 66 yards in the air and had 71 rushing yards.

After a series of fumbles by both teams, Lenox regained the ball near at their own 7 yard line with 4 minutes left in the half.

A big run by Funk was brought back by a holding call, but he kept it again on the next play, breaking away for a 32-yard run before he was pushed out of bounds at midfield. A fumbled snap on the following play brought another loss of yardage, but Funk came back with a 16-yard pass to Grundman to gain the first down on the Fremont-Mills 25.

Nardini said the ability to bounce back after a poor play reflects the players’ composure. “They’ve been in a lot of situations this year,” he said. “We’ve been up and down. You think about early in the year, East Mills and Bedford, and having to come back from behind. That made us better.”

With 1:05 left in the half, Lenox took a time out after Kitzman was tackled in the backfield for a loss of 1, resulting in third down and 15.

As “Here we go Knights,” chants could be heard from the Fremont-Mills crowd, Funk pitched the ball up over defenders to Kitzman as he was taken to the ground. Kitzman came down with the ball for a 20-yard reception along the sideline to land inside the 10.

Grundman powered through on the next play for a 9-yard touchdown. The 2-point attempt was blocked, making the score 14-0 at halftime.

In their starting second-half possession, a 28-yard reception by Lenox senior Samson Adams earned the Tigers a first down on third and long, but they were unable to complete the drive, turning over the ball on downs.

After Knights senior Payten VanHouten picked up a first down for Fremont-Mills, senior quarterback Taylor Reed took a shot down field. The pass was incomplete, but a pass interference call gave the Knights a first down.

They continued their march down the field until a rush by Fremont-Mills junior Braxton Blackburn gave them a first and goal on the Lenox 5.

The Tigers’ sideline got the crowd pumped up. The field echoed with the sounds of fans yelling and stomping in the bleachers.

Lenox’s senior Trayce Miller had a big hit on Blackburn to keep him from finding the end zone. Miller lead the defense with two sacks, five solo tackles and four tackles for loss. As the stadium erupted in noise, Reed took a shot for the end zone, but it was Kitzman who came down with the interception. Kitzman starred on both sides of the game, getting in on 10 total tackles, recording three solo, three tackles for loss and two sacks.

“It was huge,” Nardini said. “It completely flipped it. They were about to score - make it a one-score game. Us getting that pick, getting that turnover and then marching back down, getting some room - that was huge. Our offense and our defense, we live off emotion. We want the kids to feel that and they did and that helped us tremendously and I’m so proud of the boys.”

A third quarter blocked Tigers’ punt went through the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety, giving the Knights their only points of the game.

Grundman and Funk each came away with another rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, making the final score 28-2.

While the team prepares to host Colo-Nesco (4-4) at home Friday in their postseason debut, Nardini said he wanted to first enjoy the moment before reviewing what needs to be worked on.

“Fremont is always good,” he said. They’re a state-rated opponent. Just coming out, playing the way we did, the feel of the game, that was so much fun and I’m so proud of the boys. They put their heart into this and we’re looking forward to making a run.”