OAKLAND — SLUH junior linebacker Ty Lige was impressed with the way his teammates performed under pressure on Friday night.
At least vocally.
The Junior Billikens, in full throat, serenaded Lige in the end zone following a heart-stopping 13-12 nonconference football win over Lift for Life in the shadow of I-64.
“The singing was great,” Lige said.
Yet the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder, who was celebrating his 17th birthday, didn’t like what came next.
Sophomore linebacker Junior Busby picked up a cake, which was designed for post-game eating, and shoved it right into Lige’s face.
He wore the sweetness as a badge of honor after spending much of the night in the Hawks’ backfield.
The Junior Billikens used a rock-ribbed defensive effort to hold off a scrappy Lift for Life team that came within one play of recording a huge upset.
SLUH improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2005, when it won its first eight games.
Lift for Life (3-2) reached the Class 3 state semifinal round last season before losing to Seneca.
SLUH is a much-larger Class 6 school.
But the Hawks went toe-to-toe with the bigger boys all night long.
“We played lights out,” Lift For Life coach Tony Woolfolk said. “But I’m not looking at it as a Class 6 versus a Class 3 school. My guys can ball no matter the class.
“And they showed that tonight.”
The Hawks climbed to within 13-12 on a 10-yard scoring run by Jay’Veon Scott with 5 minutes and 3 seconds left in the contest. But Lift for Life was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for an apparent excessive celebration in the end zone after the play. That forced them to start the potential go-ahead two-point conversion from the 17-yard line. Quarterback Phoenix Isiah came up five yards short on the scramble.
SLUH, behind its dynamic duo of running backs Keenan Harris and Jordan Taylor, ran out the clock the rest of the way.
Harris, who is bound for Mizzou, scored on runs 5 and 10 yards. His 10-yard burst up the middle out of the wildcat formation put the hosts ahead 13-6 late in the third period.
But Lift for Life answered with a 9-play, 71-yard drive to come within a point.
Woolfolk could have easily been content with a strong effort that came up short.
But he was not.
“We didn’t lose, we beat ourselves,” Woolfolk said.
The SLUH defense, with Lige leading the way, was strong all night long. Lige had three sacks, four tackles and was a thorn in the Hawks side all night long.
Senior two-way lineman Sebastian Tate also turned in a handful of big plays.
“When we got our emotions back, we were pretty tough to move the ball against,” Tate said. “We stayed strong and true to what we are.”
Added Busby, the chief cake-smasher, “We have a standard and we have to stick by that and complete what we have to complete.”
The Junior Billikens defense has been overlooked most of the season. They have allowed just 43 points in five games, an average of 8.6 per contest.
“We’re not a defense that looks for credit, I think we’re more of a defense that knows what all 11 people need to do,” Busby said.
The Junior Billikens put together a nifty 11-play march after the opening kickoff. The defense then posted a pair of three-and-outs and it appeared like they were in total control.
But the SLUH offense struggled with a missed field goal. It also turned the ball over on downs inside the 10-yard line in the closing minute of the first half.
Lift for Life used a 42-yard connection from Isiah to Tony Woolfolk Jr. to set up the first score. The pair connected on a 19-yard pass-and-run to get in position for the second score.
“I expected more,” Coach Woolfolk said. “When you come that close, you’ve got to win it.”
SLUH scored 137 points over its first four games, but the offense was held to a season low by the Hawks.
“Winning football games is hard and winning football games against a really well-coached team is even harder,” SLUH coach Adam Cruz said.
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Steve Overbey | Post-Dispatch
High school sports reporter
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