Hoping to stop the Lee County Clippers' losing streak at five games, Coach Troy Goode tried a new quarterback in Week 11. But Virgil Boyst threw back-to-back interceptions returned for touchdowns by Stokes County Twins S1 Ryan Ohara, and the Stokes County Twins prevailed, 45-20.
Seeded with 11 players from NCFA Charlotte, Lee County's 3-8 season has been a terrific disappointment.
John Austerberry started the season's first 10 games at quarterback, limping to a rating of 72.3. He was sacked 50 times--11 times more than any other NCFA2 quarterback over the same span. His poor line of protectors included three fellow Charlotte seeds, guards Kane Rable and Milton Ryals and tight end Brian Lipscomb. (Rable had a particularly bad fourth-quarter series in a still-close game with the Warren County Eagles in Week 9. He false-started for a five-yard penalty on first down and failed to block literally anyone on the next three plays. The possession netted a loss of 16 yards for the Clippers, and the Eagles went on to a 24-10 victory.)
The running game has had its problems, too. Like the passing game, the running game also ranked 12th in NCFA2 through 10 weeks. HB1 Donald Handley, a seed, totaled 472 yards on 2.8 yards per carry in those games. Handley got 145 of those yards in one game, against the Orange County Tourists.
The seeds on the defensive side of the ball have mostly fared better. David Peek, a safety, and Kenneth Howard, a defensive end, were both benched at midseason. But linebackers Antonio Lindsay and Johnny Nay and cornerbacks Kenneth Anaya and Paul Solano have been mainstays of a defense that ranked fifth in NCFA2. Nay, an eight-year NCFA vet, led NCFA2 in tackles through 10 weeks, with 84. Lindsay, a three-year man, had 54 tackles, a sack and two interceptions.
A handful of free-agent Clippers have impressed:
-- WR2 Shawn Hawkins, a four-year vet promoted to the first team only at midseason, proved to be a dedicated receiver willing to lay out for Austerberry's and Boyst's overthrows or outfight defensive backs for a contested ball. He had 24 catches for an average of 13.4 yards per.
-- S2 Ernest Mathers, trying to get back to the NCFA, had 61 tackles and an interception (but showed surprisingly poor field awareness for a 10th-year player).
-- The strong defensive line included DE1 David Balentine, a true rookie who totaled 21 tackles, seven sacks and a fumble recovery. Veteran DT1 Aaron Carter added 24 tackles and eight sacks; DT2 Keith Kubiak, 29 and six.
-- LB3 Percy Phillips had 13 tackles in Week 1. The seven-year veteran goes into the final game of the season with 62 tackles, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Goode stuck with Jose Lowe for too long as his kicker. He had missed two field-goal attempts from inside the 30 and one extra point in his first six games, but Goode decided to give Lowe one more chance. He missed two of three field goals in a 20-11 loss to the Franklin County Tobs in Week 7, and Goode turned to Willie Power, who has provided some improvement (four of six on field goals, including a 51-yarder, and three of three on extra points).
