Lions focus on postseason after defeat

Regular season football didn't end well for the Augusta Christian Lions, but it didn't change their outlook for the postseason.

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"We need to bounce back real quick," Augusta Christian senior Travis Cerasuolo said. "We need to redeem ourselves in the playoffs."

The Lions lost their final regular season game of the year 28-21 to Hammond on Friday. The visiting Skyhawks claimed a Region 1-AAA championship with 403 yards of total offense.

The region loss dropped Augusta Christian to second place in the Region 1-AAA standings and sent the Lions to the SCISA state playoffs as a No. 2 seed.

It was a slight dip in a season otherwise full of wins for Augusta Christian. The Lions still earned a home game for the first round of the state playoffs but will likely have to play on the road if they advance to the second round.

Augusta Christian football coach Bruce Lane said that doesn't change anything. The Lions entered the state playoffs as a two-seed when they won the school's first football state championship in 2005.

"The last two years we've been the No. 2 seed," Lane said. "Right now every ounce of our focus has to be on the next game. It would be a disappointment if we didn't do that."

The next game is against Pinewood Prep. The Panthers from Summerville, S.C., are enjoying their first winning season since 2003 and finished the regular season as the No. 3 seed from SCISA Region 2-AAA.

The two teams have a history. Augusta Christian handed Pinewood Prep its first loss of the season Sept. 7 in a 42-28 win. Senior Jay Harmon rushed for 170 yards on 19 carries in the win while quarterback Tyler Bourdo threw two touchdowns and ran in another.

Both Lions stars were on the bench with injuries by the end of last week's game.

Harmon's injury didn't allow him to play at all. Bourdo left the game in the fourth quarter after taking a shot to the head.

Both starters should be available to play this Friday against Pinewood Prep.

Augusta Christian (8-2) has advanced to the SCISA Class AAA state championship game each of the past two seasons. The Lions have defeated Pinewood Prep both times in their two previous meetings.