Lester ‘couldn't have written a better script’
Eric Tabor
Tuesday April 1, 2008
The South Georgia Wildcats quarterback wanted his first game to end the right way. There are so many things Cecil Lester has done in his football career. There are so many things Lester hasn't done.
He's never passed for 4,000 yards. He's never started at quarterback for the Wildcats football team. He's never held up an ArenaCup championship trophy.
That's what this year is for, to complete all those things.
Lester took his first step to writing a Hollywood type script Saturday night as he lead the Wildcats in a come from behind victory against the Tennessee Valley Vipers in af2 action before an announced crowd of 4,302 at the Von Braun Center.
Tennessee Valley struck first when Travis Blanchard returned a South Georgia missed field goal 57 yards for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead. After taking over on downs at the South Georgia 14, the Vipers moved to the 7 on a pass interference call. QB Andy Hall then hit Maurice Brown on a 7-yard touchdown pass.
South Georgia closed within 13-7 at the end of the first quarter when Lester threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to P.J. Berry.
Blanchard's 3-yard TD run and Hayes' kick put the Vipers up 20-7 at 9:34 in the second quarter. But the Wildcats made it 20-14 when Lester threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to
Antwone Savage. Two 1-yard touchdown runs by Matt Webber helped the Vipers to a 34-28 halftime lead.
The Wildcats tied the score 34-all at 11:05 in the third quarter on Lester's 18-yard scoring pass to Berry.
Tennessee Valley answered with Hall's 29-yard touchdown pass to Gary Elliott for a 41-34 lead. Scott Hode's 22-yard field goal for South Georgia made it 41-37 at the end of the third.
Lester's 26-yard touchdown pass to Berry gave South Georgia a 52-48 lead in the game's final minute. But the Vipers answered with Hall's 14-yard touchdown pass to Elliott for a 55-52 Tennessee Valley lead with 22 seconds left.
Two key points in the contest were a fumble and an interception that Wildcat defensive back Ronald Cola came up with.
“We had an opportunity to win the game and we let it slip away,” Tennessee Valley coach Dean Cokinos said. “We made a couple of critical turnovers in the second half. Regardless of what happened on that last play, we had a chance to put it away and we didn't do it.”
On the final play, which started with five seconds left, Cecil Lester completed a pass to Alvin Ray Jackson. Jackson then lateraled back to Lester to finish the 10-yard touchdown for the winning points.
The stat sheet showed Cecil completed that game winning pass to himself.
“I've been a part of some thrillers but I've never been a part of a finish like that,” Tennessee Valley quarterback Andy Hall said. “Wow, very last play of the game.”
Lester went 27-of-45 passes for seven touchdowns and 375 yards with one interception.
The Wildcat quarterback, one of the biggest question marks coming into Saturday’s game, got the storybook ending to the first start in his pro career.
Cats win 59-55.