The win left the Tigers unbeaten this fall, following a string of high-profile wins against major Division 1 teams. Lemoore hopes to improve to 6-0 this Friday when it finally returns home for another WYL matchup against Hanford West.
West High lost to their cross-town rival Hanford on Friday night. The Bullpups are also undefeated at 5-0 and seem to be cruising to a regular-season showdown with the Tigers on November 7 in the Milk Can game in Tiger Stadium.
Davis was simply remarkable in a season highlighted by superb offensive and defensive individual efforts amidst a solid-team effort. Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter when the Rangers’ Rickie Garcia scored on a 12-yard pass from Adam Vance, Davis responded by hauling in the first of his three TD passes on a 6-yard toss from Groathouse as the Tigers knotted the game at 7-7.
Redwood scored again in the second on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jeremiah Johnson, but again Davis responded with another touchdown catch, this one a 67-yard pass from Groathouse that tied the game at 14 all.
Davis finished with a season-high 10 catches for 146 yards. Groathouse was 18 for 29 with one interception as he passed for 266 yards to continue his impressive play this season.
From that point on, Lemoore’s vaunted defense kept the Rangers at bay, preventing them from scoring again. The Tigers front line continually harassed Redwood’s passing game.
Late in the first half, Groathouse found somebody other than Davis, connecting with Jerald Campbell on a 39-yard strike that put Lemoore up 21-14 going into the half.
Davis earned his third TD on the night when Groathouse found him from 26 yards. Lemoore took a commanding 28-14 advantage and held on to win its fifth game in a row and stay unbeaten.
“Reggie just had a great game,” said Tiger Coach Shannon Pulliam. “He certainly brings a different element to our game. Last year he was a tailback and this year we moved him to a slot receiver. He still gets a lot of carries from there. During the off-season Reggie has improved his strength and speed and it’s showed on the field.”
Pulliam went on to say that Davis is simply overpowering when left alone. He definitely has an advantage when opponents use single coverage against him, hence three touchdowns and 146 yards in receiving.
But this season hasn’t all been about individual performances. Nearly every week someone new steps up. “We just have a lot of good players,” said Pulliam. “We have a lot of depth this year and we have two great classes back to back with our juniors and seniors.
He again singled out Groathouse with his four touchdown passes and 266 yard passing. “It’s a nightmare for teams to try to defend against him.”
Lemoore’s ground game was also effective Friday with Trey Perryman rushing for 73 yards and Darnell Foster contributing 53 yards on the night. Lemoore’s defense held the Rangers to a little more than 100 rushing yards.