Glendon Poe | The Valdosta Daily TimesLowndes defensive lineman Jacques Hunter (48) celebrates after making a tackle against Westlake during the second half of a second-round GHSA Class 7A state playoff game in Atlanta on Friday night.

ATLANTA — On a night when supplemental defense was needed, Lowndes’ defense delivered.

The Vikings’ defense surrendered 162 yards while keeping the Westlake Lions, who boast the fourth-highest scoring average in Class 7A, away from the end zone in a 24-0 shutout win in a GHSA Class 7A state playoff game on a nippy Friday night.

“Hands down, our best defensive performance all year,” Vikings coach Randy McPherson said.

Travis Tisdale, Tiberius Drocea and Leon Williams each recorded five tackles for Lowndes (9-3). Three of Williams’ tackles were for losses, Gary Osby intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown in the third quarter, and Jacques Hunter made a pair of second-half sacks.

“Coach (Byron) Slack and the other assistant coaches had a great game plan, and I’m really proud of that defense,” McPherson said.

The Vikings, who entered as the team with the third-best scoring average in Class 7A, led 7-0 after a first half where they punted six times and turned the ball over twice. 

The offensive line parted the middle of the field and Jacarri Brown made two defenders miss before racing to the end zone for a 58-yard touchdown with 10:38 remaining in the opening period.

Lowndes had a more productive second half.

Westlake (9-3) defended Lowndes well after surrendering a long play down inside the 10-yard line early in the third. The Vikings were limited to a field goal to extend their lead to 10-0.

Osby intercepted a pass and returned it for a score on the Lions’ ensuing possession, making it 17-0 with 5 minutes remaining in the period.

“We’ve been working on our underneath coverage for a long time, and Gary is a really good player. I know he was excited when he caught that ball,” McPherson said with a laugh.

Christian Stephens dove for a 1-yard TD early in the fourth to cap the scoring.

Westlake’s defense, along with self-inflicting mistakes, kept the Vikings’ offense from taking off in the first half. 

Lowndes’ final first-half drive started with a snap that skidded off the turf, followed by two short runs. The Vikings then attempted a fake punt that resulted in a turnover on downs.

The Vikings finished with 270 yards of offense, dominated by 247 yards rushing. They were 3 of 12 on third-down conversion attempts. Brown had a game-high 135 yards rushing on seven carries.

“We struggled moving the ball, missed some shots early,” McPherson said. “We had some people open and missed some shots. 

“It seemed like we could really play with them in the first half. We figured out what was going to work in the second half and stuck with it and as was able to get the win.”

Jalyn Williams completed 15 of 28 passes for 131 yards with no interceptions for the Lions. Amir Spivey finished with a game-high 75 yards receiving on eight receptions.

“(The Lions) had speed and were well-coached. We knew we weren’t going to run all over them,” McPherson said. 

UP NEXT

Lowndes visits Grayson in a state quarterfinal next Friday night. Grayson beat Norcross 37-17 on Friday night.