By Pat Dailey
Special to The Globe
BRANSON, Mo. —
Brian Poston has become as much a household name throughout the Ozarks as any prep not named Dorial Green-Beckham can be. But Poston’s co-star in Carthage’s 60-28 whipping of Branson on Friday was a relative unknown.
The secret is out now about senior wideout Keith Lawrie. He returned the opening kick-off for a touchdown, caught a 64-yard touchdown pass and ran 45 yards for another score as part of the Tigers’ nine-touchdown night.
“I didn’t know who he was before the game,” Pirates defensive end Jordan Brown said. “I just told him, ‘Good game.’ He had some good plays.”
“Nobody knew about him and he took advantage of it,” added Branson running back Malachi Daniels.
“Yeah, I don’t think anyone knew who I was,” said Lawrie, who had four catches for 132 yards. “Last year, for the last few games I was in on kick-returns. Other than that, just jayvee.”
Remarkably, considering his lack of varsity experience, Lawrie boldly predicted he would take his first kick-return all the way to the end zone.
“I said I was going to do it,” he said. “I was serious. I said it to everybody.”
Lawrie actually came to a stop upon catching the kickoff, patiently waiting to see what his blockers would do for him.
“I try to see where the opening is going to come,” he said. “Then, I try to hit it.”
Poston was his usual productive self. He had 199 yards rushing by halftime. He took the fourth quarter off after totaling 261 yards on 21 rushes and posting five touchdown runs.
“Brian can’t be stopped and (quarterback Derek Peterson) throwing the ball is money every time,” Lawrie said. “They say we’re a good team. Now, we know we’re close to being a great team.”
Brown provided two of the few highlights on the night for Branson. He returned a Carthage fumble 43 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to give the Pirates a 14-13 lead.
Brown caught the ball on the run, after lineman Jake McSpadden jarred it loose from a Tigers ball-carrier.
“I have to give all the credit to Jake for that,” Brown said. “He forced the fumble. It popped into my hands. I liked where we were headed at that time.”
However, Lawrie shifted the momentum to Carthage’s side for good only a couple of minutes later. He and Peterson hooked up for a 64-yard scoring strike with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.
Brown also was part of another Carthage turnover. He stripped the ball from a Tigers receiver in the second quarter while making a tackle and came up with the pigskin himself.
Carthage scored on every offensive possession, with the exception of its two fumbles. The Tigers were clutch when they needed to be. They were 4-for-4 on 3rd-down efficiency in the first half and lost yardage on only one play all night.
Daniels was kept relatively in check. He had a 62-yard kickoff return to set up Branson’s first touchdown. But he managed only 28 yards on 11 carries in the first half and finished with 80 yards on 21 attempts.
“Their defensive line did a good swarming to the ball on every play,” Daniels said. “They made it difficult to bust outside or bust anything through the middle."
