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The Russell County Laker Football team fell to the Somerset Briar Jumpers by a score of 41-24 Friday night at Finley Field.
With the loss, the Lakers move to 1-1 on the season.
The Lakers jumped out to a hot start against the Briar Jumpers, with sophomore newcomer Byron Kirkland taking a pitch and returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
The Jumpers would answer with a screen pass that went 75 yards for a touchdown, but Russell County retook the lead after a Yarley Medrano field goal.
Somerset fumbled the ball four times in the first quarter, but the Lakers struggled to capitalize, only turning one of the four turnovers into a touchdown, which came via an Owen Loy – Mayes Gosser connection down the sideline with Gosser winning a jump ball near the goal line to score. That gave Russell County the 17-7 lead.
When Somerset was able to remedy its ball security issues, they were able to use a bruising run game that the Lakers struggle to contain. The Briar Jumpers trimmed the lead to 17-14 early in the second quarter, a lead the Lakers would take into halftime.
The third quarter belonged to Somerset, as the Jumpers scored 20 unanswered points in the quarter to take a 34-17 into the final frame.
The Lakers trimmed the lead to 34-24 with just over 8 minutes remaining in the game after Loy connected with Brandon Leach in the end zone, but Russell County couldn’t contain the Somerset run game as the Jumpers were able to chew up almost seven minutes on the ensuing drive before punching in another touchdown, extending the lead to 41-24.
The Lakers will look to regroup as they head to Barren County next Friday for a matchup with the Trojans, who also enter at 1-1.
