CAMP WALKER, South Korea – Demetrius Johnson never saw it.
Never saw the wind bring the football he just punted back toward his goal line.
Never saw his coach, Alan Morton, yell in frustration.
Never saw Daegu American’s Anthony Lampman fall on the ball in the end zone to complete the Warriors’ rally from a two-touchdown deficit.
Johnson’s Falcons were nursing a 20-14 lead late in the fourth quarter, when
his attempted punt blew back to the end zone and Lampman recovered to tie it, when Johnson crumpled to the ground with a leg cramp.
Johnson was taken off the field, then quarterback Trey Griffen ran in the game-winning two-point conversion as the Warriors earned a groundbreaking 22-20 win over the Saturday Falcons at Camp Walker’s Kelly Field.
“I’ve seen a highly-motivated team during practice,” Daegu nose guard Jarel
Connie said. “And that is why we never gave up today.”
“Our defense did a great job,” said Luke Spencer, Warriors defensive
coordinator. “They improved their techniques and attacked the edges.”
By doing so, the Warriors sent the two-time Class AA champion Falcons to their first 0-2 start in school history, and the first two-game losing streak in school history. It was also the first time both of Korea’s Class A teams beat Seoul in the same season; Osan American beat Seoul 12-0 on Sept. 12.
Daegu’s defense, led by Connie’s 12 tackles and Lampman’s eight tackles, held the Falcons scoreless in the first half as Seoul’s freshman quarterback Brandon Morton struggled under center.
Two Falcons’ fourth-down conversion tries were stifled at the goal line. Players and coaches alike wondered why Coach Morton opted to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking field goals from close in.
“Don’t get me started on that,” said an assistant coach after the game.
Nevertheless, the Falcons’ defense, led by interceptions by Adrian Thomas and Devin Patton, held their own as they frustrated Griffen into turnovers and stopped Daegu’s running game.
“Basically, our defense gave us a chance the entire game,” Thomas said. “But (the Warriors) are a great team and managed to break through.”
After Morton fired 60-yard bombs to Johnson and Thomas to give the Falcons a seemingly comfortable 20-6 lead into the fourth quarter, Daegu began its historic rally.
David Martinez caught a 70-yard pass from Griffen to bring the Warriors within eight points. Griffen ran in the two-point conversion to make it 20-14 with 10:24 left.
“We never give up,” said Griffen, who missed last year’s 2-5 campaign with a broken left suffered in the second game. “Seoul is a great team but we showed them we are for real.”
“My team didn’t quit,” Warriors coach Ken Walter said. “I believe we grew as a team and that will help us in our next game against Osan.”
Daegu (2-0) next hosts Osan (1-0) at 6 p.m. Friday at Kelly Field. The Falcons are idle until Oct. 2, when they host Osan at 6 p.m.
