And that proved to be prophetic as the Eagles battled to a 35-21 victory after dominating the Furies the previous week, 42-0.
"It really is so dangerous," Landis said following the Eagles' second win. "You know they're not going to give up. They're going to put 42-0 behind them. At no time did I see our boys being cocky, but there was a kind of mental up and down."
Landis admitted the one-sided nature of the Eagles' first win over Forsyth Country Day might have contributed to a temporary lack of focus that saw the Furies pull within a score before halftime, but still drew positives from getting the slow performance out of their system.
The Eagles (10-1) have been preparing for another familiar foe in Asheville School, which visits Huntersville in this Friday's semifinal contest. In the previous meeting on Sept. 30, the Eagles held on for a 27-14 road victory after entering the fourth quarter with a 21-0 lead. Against the Blues, SouthLake quarterback Randy Schroeder connected with Demitri Allison for three scores as the wide receiver racked up 151 receiving yards.
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. with the winner advancing to face either First Assembly Christian or Cannon School in the NCISAA Division II Championship next week.
Allison stands out
Allison enjoyed a productive outing in all facets against the Furies, catching four passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, rushing six times for 44 yards and a score and intercepting a pass, which he returned for a touchdown only to be called back for a penalty away from the ball.
But it was Allison's third touchdown midway through the third quarter that turned heads and effectively put the Eagles out of reach. With SouthLake backed up on its own 1-yard-line, Allison reeled in a pass from Schroeder and broke 99 yards to score and extend the Eagles' lead to 28-14. It was the first 99-yard play in SouthLake history.
The record-setting play could not have come at a better time for the Eagles, as it was the first play of the possession after Andre Diouf intercepted a pass — one of his three on the night — just outside the Eagle goal line with the Furies threatening to tie the contest.
Diouf also caught a 67-yard touchdown pass and punted five times for a 30.4-yard average.
Brian Jones scored the Eagles' second touchdown on a 64-yard end-around play. Schroeder completed 8-of-15 passes for 222 yards and three scores.
