Recap of Lawrenceville Football's Contest with Choate

          Lawrenceville has had a long-standing rivalry with Choate Rosemary Hall in football, yet for the past years, Choate has had the upper hand. Last year, Choate triumphed 63-7. This year was no better: a bitter 38-0 Lawrenceville loss. Although the scoreless game may fill us with sorrow, there are a lot of good things to unpack here.

          1st Quarter:

The first quarter may have been the best offensive football Lawrenceville played all game. On its first drive, Lawrenceville’s offense was pushing Choate down the field and looked to score…but was ultimately forced to punt from the 35-yard line after an incomplete pass on third down. On the ensuing driveChoate punted after failing to convert on  third down, giving Lawrenceville another chance to put some points on the board. Lawrenceville lost steam in the possessions after a promising first drive, ultimately punting yet again on its final possession of the quarter. Choate then marched down the field to find the endzone putting them up up by one touchdown to tend the wuarter. The biggest problem for Lawrenceville’s defense in this quarter was wrapping up when tackling and staying with receivers in coverage.

          2nd Quarter:

This quarter was a little bit more devastating as Lawrenceville’s defense allowed three touchdowns. No offensive possessions amounted to much, but the boys still had fire in them going into the half. Many of the same defensive problems from the first quarter occurred in the second quarter: not wrapping up when going for a tackle and not keeping eyes on open players. Specifically, there was a play where Choate’s offensive line collapsed, and it looked like Lawrenceville’s defensive line was going to get a sack, but there was a player wide open down-field. If the coverage would have held up downfield, sacking Choate’s quarterback could have resulted in a jolt of energy for the home team. 

          Halftime:

Coach Poe gave the boys multiple talks during the first half, telling them that it “was [their] game to win and [their] game to lose,” and that “they had to put the effort in and stay laser-focused on the game.”

          3rd Quarter:

The players showed up out of the locker room with a chip on their shoulders and looked ready to defeat the other team. The results of this quarter were not much different from the others, but the Lawrenceville players looked like they came to play and were determined to make the other team work for every yard. Although the offense was not able to effectively move the ball, the defense still played with intensity. The team gave up 10 points this quarter, and the offense was unsuccessful in its hunt for a score. 

          4th Quarter: 

The final quarter of play was the best offense that was played by Lawrenceville in the game. After letting up a 30-yard rush, the defense stood firm and forced a Choate interception at the goal line. Lawrenceville then marched its way down the field, determined to earn points, and got all the way to the 10-yard line before time unfortunately expired. 

          For people in a hurry:

Lawrenceville’s Varsity Football Team lost to Choate Rosemary Hall due to many players on the latter’s team being left open when defenders looked back at the quarterback. The inconsistency of wrapping up when tackling allowed Choate’s offensive players to break off huge gains before being taken down. With each short drive that the offense put up, the defense had no rest and was constantly pushed to its limit. While we were not able to find victory this time out, next year will be our year.