Lemoore's offense erupts in second half and defense stiffens as Tigers blow past Clovis 40-27 in non-league action

It was indeed another dramatic night in Lemoore High School’s Tiger Stadium as the underdog Tigers rallied in the second half of Friday night’s non-league contest against Clovis to beat the surprised Cougars 40-27 on a muggy night before a packed house. The victory gave Lemoore a 2-0 record as they head into another Friday matchup with powerhouse Buchanan High.

However, the Bears might not be the powerhouse of previous years, as they’ve dropped their first two games, the latest a 21-13 loss to Bullard High. Buchanan also dropped its opener to powerhouse Edison High 13-7.

In Friday night’s game, Lemoore fell behind early and trailed Clovis 27-12 at the half. The Tigers came out like gangbusters in the second half, erupting for four touchdowns to blow past the Cougars and undoubtedly move up in the Central Section football rankings.

A key interception from Trey Perryman and touchdowns from Tiger Quarterback Cort Groathouse sealed the fate of the Cougars as they were unable to respond, thanks to a suddenly-stingy Lemoore defense.

Groathouse, who scored twice in the third period to cut the gap to 27-26, gave credit where credit was due. “I think it started with our linemen, and that run going to our left for 50 yards. All our linemen blocked and it was perfect. That’s what turned the game around for us,” he said.

“This is amazing,” said Groathouse. “I can’t even describe what I’m feeling right now. The letdown we felt last year when we lost by two, then coming back the second half of this game, and then our defense shutting them down. And then we scored 27 points unanswered- just amazing.”

Groathouse’s first TD in the third period came at 10:28 mark when he raced into the end zone. The two-point conversion, a Groathouse run into the left side of the end zone, cut the gap to 27-20.

Minutes later Lemoore recovered a bad snap and had possession on the Clovis 3-yard line where Groathouse scored. This time the two-point conversion failed and Clovis still led 27-26.

Darnell Foster scored the game’s next touchdown following an interception and long return by Trey Perryman. Lemoore led 33-27 and the Tigers weren’t about to give that up as their defense held firm. The Tigers held the Cougar’s running game to just 52 yards.

Groathouse scored with just 2:18 left in the game on a fourth and goal to account for the final margin of victory.

Coach Shannon Pulliam awarded a special 22-link chain with a padlock to Groathouse after the game. “There are 22 links on the chain (number of players in the game) and the lock represents the one player on the team who holds the team together,” said the Tiger quarterback.  “And whoever gets the chain represents the lock. I got the chain but I gave it back to our linemen because of their second half effort in closing down Clovis.”