On a night when the field lights were put into use midway through the first quarter, Lumiere
Strickland was just as luminescent as any beacon over the field in the last quarter. The junior
tailback and safety lit up the (unofficial) stat sheet to the tune of 15 carries for 148 yards and
two touchdowns. This shining example of football excellence powered the Red Bank Lions to a
28-7 win over the nearby Signal Mountain Eagles.
With the score deadlocked at seven-all entering the fourth quarter, both teams appeared to be
evenly matched.
While Signal Mountain had difficulty breaking off long gains, their dependable
fullback Braden Casner kept the offense afloat with a steady supply of three- and four-yard
bursts behind Signal’s guards.
Every so often, one of Signal’s tailbacks would burst around the end of their signature double-
wing formation for double-digit yardage, but for the most part, the Eagles relied on ball-control
and a slow pace to keep them in the game. It was this kind of sustained offensive style that
resulted in their only score of the game—a one yard keeper by quarterback Jack Wilson to tie
the game at seven right before halftime.
The Red Bank attack was much more frenetic, with all manner of wide-open formations and
high-tempo play sprinkled in their playbook. 5’4 speedster Deangelo Ross split carries with
Strickland, and occasionally found success by running the ball outside on Red Bank’s outside
zone plays. Timely slant passes from quarterback Madox Wilkey diversified the offense and
kept the Lions from becoming too one-dimensional on their home field.
Until the fourth quarter though, Signal Mountain’s defense made enough plays to keep the
game close. Middle linebacker Campbell Garner was particularly excellent, both in defending
the run and in the passing game. He intercepted Wilkey once in the second quarter, and had
numerous deflections on the night.
The last quarter belonged to Red Bank though, especially Lumiere Strickland and the Red Bank
offensive line. The Lions took the lead on Strickland’s best tote of the night. The 5’10 halfback
took the handoff from Wilkey at the 33 yard line and began heading left. Number 15 then stuck
his foot in the ground and made one hard cut toward open space, accelerating forward and
splitting two Signal Mountain defenders. As he motored toward the endzone, a third Signal
Mountain defender dove for his heels, a tackle Strickland easily avoided with a small hop.
Signal did nothing with their next possession, and Strickland and the offense put the game away
with an Eagle-esque scoring drive of their own. They burned away seconds with every
successful run, most of those being from Strickland. His ten-yard score gave Red Bank a two-
touchdown lead and used up nearly half of the fourth quarter.
A few moments later, free safety Lucas Brown Jr. stepped in front of a desperate Wilson pass,
and the high-stepping senior had a clear lane down the left sideline for a pick-six and the final
score of the 28-7 game.