Lawry's Three Touchdowns Lead Kingsway to Thrashing of Highland

In 1856, English art critic John Ruskin termed the phrase “pathetic fallacy,” which occurs in literature when weather mirrors the thoughts, emotions and actions of a story’s character.

For the Highland football team, Friday night’s 43-6 loss to Kingsway was a prolonged demonstration of pathetic fallacy, as the sloppy weather conditions closely mirrored the team’s sloppy play.

Penalties, missed blocks, poor tackling and missed assignments on both sides of the ball doomed the Tartans in front a sparse, rain-soaked crowd.

Those who were in attendance witnessed Kingsway running back Ray Lawry's breakout night.

The sophomore totaled 222 total yards from scrimmage on his way to scoring three touchdowns on only nine touches. His clutch performance couldn’t have come at a better time for the Dragons, who desperately needed a win after last week’s 40-17 drubbing at the hands of Triton.

The Tartans, who have now lost 16 consecutive games since their last win on Oct. 23, 2009, simply had no answer for Lawry.

Highland head coach Craig Stinson was candid after the game, airing his thoughts on what’s ailing his struggling program.

“The bottom line is we watch film, the game plan is there and the kids just don’t want to listen,” he said. “The kids know more than the coaches and we’re putting inexperienced players on the field Friday nights under the lights and because of the numbers, they’ve got to play varsity.”

From the opening kickoff, it was just one of those nights for the Tartans.

An 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was nullified by a holding penalty. From there, Highland’s offense struggled to move the football, totaling only 89 yards on 30 plays from scrimmage in the first half.

Kingsway got on the board first when a six-play drive was capped by a 56-yard touchdown run by Lawry.

The run impressed Kingsway head coach Tony Barchuk.

“He’s really starting to work hard and if he continues to do that, he’s headed for big things,” said Barchuk. “He’s an explosive back that can change directions, has excellent speed, and is going to open up a lot of eyes the next few years” he said.

Late in the first quarter it appeared Kingsway would have to punt on their second possession, but that’s when the Dragons decided to get creative. Rather than kicking the ball away, Barchck instead called for a fake punt.

It worked perfectly.

Junior Myles Matthews took a direct snap and found Lawry wide open for a 57-yard touchdown to extend the Kingsway lead.

“We practice that play and if they don’t cover it, we have a call,” said Barchuk. “Myles is a pretty smart kid and he saw it, called it and it worked for us.”

Despite Kingsway’s early lead, Highland had its share of opportunities to get back into the game.

The Tartans put together an impressive 11-play drive midway through the second quarter, but it stalled at the Kingsway 24-yard line after an incomplete pass by quarterback Dan Martin.

Highland would get another opportunity when junior Robert Patterson recovered a fumble by Lawry, the lone blemish on another wise banner night for the Kingsway running back.

The Tartans again reached the 24-yard line, but Martin fumbled a handoff that was recovered by 248-pound Kingsway defensive tackle Odjegha Emore and returned 76 yards to break the game wide open.

Kingsway extended its lead to 29-0 before Highland finally got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter.

Sophomore tailback Davante Parker’s 6-yard touchdown provided the only points of the night for a struggling Tartans' offense that is averaging just 4.3 points per game through the first three weeks of the season.

Lawry then capped the scoring with his third and final touchdown of the evening on a 73-yard burst through the middle of the Highland defense.

Highland will look to earn its first win of the season when it travels to Delsea next week.