Kirkland Carter

For the Forsyth County News

MARIETTA – Lambert secured its second win of the season in dominant fashion Friday, blowing out Lassiter 54-21 at Lutzie Field in Marietta. 

The Longhorns won in all three phases, scoring six times on offense, once on defense, and forcing several Lassiter into several special teams miscues.

The Trojans’ struggles started early, when Lambert linebacker Jake Johnson picked off a Bryson Harrison pass on the very first possession. Lambert then drew the first blood on a 48-yard field goal by Ryan Degyansky. 

Johnson also intercepted a pass thrown by punter Luke O’Malley after a botched punt attempt in the end zone.

Lambert used a rushing touchdown by Harrison Peyton – the first of three scores by Peyton – to take a 10-0 lead.

After a Lassiter score and a successful two-point conversion, Lambert scored 37 straight points, a streak that extended into the final minutes of the third quarter.

Bradley Gabriel caught a TD pass from quarterback James Tyre, then Degyansky added another field goal to make it 20-8.

The Longhorns again used field position to punch it in for a late first half score, as Tyre scored on a keeper, upping their lead to 27-8 with 46 seconds in the half. Johnson made his presence known again on the last play of the half, sacking Harrison as time expired. 

Peyton scored again to open the second half, then after Tyre hit tight end Luke Logan for a touchdown, Peyton returned a fumble for a touchdown to give Lambert a 47-8 lead.

Special teams was a disaster for Lassiter, with a fumble lost on a muffed punt, a shanked punt for 14 yards, a missed field goal and the interception thrown by O’Malley. 

The Trojans turned the ball over five times, with three interceptions while recovering only one of three fumbles. The Trojans were also going backward quite a bit, amassing twelve penalties totaling 94 yards. 

The running game was a struggle as well, with the team mustering just 122 yards from scrimmage. Junior Samuel Gasden was the lone bright spot out of the backfield, accounting for 90 of those yards on just ten carries. 

Lassiter answered the scoop-and-score with a touchdown of its own, but Levi Watson punched in a quarterback keeper in response.

Lassiter scored again in the final seconds, with Harrison hitting Danny Curran for a 53-yard score down the home sideline, but the game had been decided by then.

Lambert [2-0] will travel to Meadowcreek next week at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 3.