Godby Defeats Lincoln 30-28 with Late Score

On October 24, the Lincoln Trojans (5–4) took on the Godby Cougars (4–5) in an exciting non-district matchup. Lincoln, coming off a road loss the previous week, looked to bounce back and secure a win on senior night. Godby, meanwhile, coming off back-to-back losses, hoped to prove they still had plenty left in the tank. What followed might turn out to be one of the best nights of football we’ve seen this season.

In one of the most thrilling games of the season, Godby rallied late to stun Lincoln 30–28 in a Friday night matchup filled with turnovers, explosive plays, and a last-second touchdown to seal the win. Godby opened the night with momentum, but their first drive was cut short when Maliek Denmark snagged an interception for Lincoln. The Trojans, as usual, quickly capitalized as quarterback Taylor Jacobs Jr. connected with tight end Will Tawney on a deep pass that set up a short touchdown run by running back Tadarius Huggins, giving Lincoln an early 6–0 lead to start the game.

The Cougars answered with a steady drive fueled by newly starting quarterback Lazarus Chambers and running back Kamren McMillan, eventually setting up a field goal to make it 6–3. Lincoln tried a trick play on fourth down early in the second quarter, but it backfired when corner C.J. Allen for Godby picked it off, stopping the drive in its tracks. 

That stop was not enough to slow Lincoln for long, as they bounced back when quarterback Taylor Jacobs Jr. found receiver Kabran Paul for a short touchdown reception, stretching the lead to 12–3. Godby responded almost immediately as Chambers powered through on multiple quarterback keepers before punching in a touchdown to cut the deficit to 12–10.

Later in the half, Lincoln’s quarterback was intercepted again, this time by athlete Jamarin Simmons, setting the Cougars up deep in Trojan territory. With under a minute left in the first half, Chambers connected with receiver Jerrell Hall for a touchdown to give Godby a 17-12 halftime lead, foreshadowing what was to come. 

After a slow start to the third quarter, Chambers struck again, tossing a touchdown to Jamarin Simmons to extend the lead to 24-12. Lincoln kept it close when Tadarius Huggins broke through for his second touchdown of the night, cutting the lead to 24-19.

Early in the fourth, Lincoln surged ahead when Will Tawney scored out of the Wildcat formation, putting the Trojans up 25–24. A few minutes later, heavy pressure from Lincoln’s defense forced Chambers to fumble, setting the Trojans up with great field position. Though they could not reach the end zone, they converted a short field goal to push the lead to 28–24 with under five minutes remaining.

But the Cougars were not done. Still on the prowl, Chambers led a gutsy final drive, converting key runs and completions as the clock ticked under a minute. Facing fourth down with just eight seconds left, Chambers connected once again with Jerrell Hall in the end zone for what would turn out to be the game-winning score, putting Godby ahead 30–28. Lincoln had one last snap, but time expired, sealing a statement win for the underdog Cougars.

Notable performances for Godby included QB Lazarus Chambers (Sr.) with three  passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, WR Jerrell Hall (Sr.) with two receiving touchdowns, and ATH Jamarin Simmons (Jr.) with one touchdown reception and one interception. For Lincoln, RB Tadarius Huggins (Sr.) recorded two rushing touchdowns.