FOLEY – The Poets might as well have stayed in Montgomery singing Hank William’s “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” rather than arriving Friday evening at Ivan Jones Stadium where the No. 2 ranked Lions (11-0) showed why they are a contender for the state-title with 54-12 victory over Sidney Lanier.

“We came out an executed on offense early,” said Foley Head Coach Todd Watson. “We played them the last two years…and they got a great football team.

“We’ll look at the film and try to correct some mistakes.”

Mistakes were few to the casual observer as the Lions (11-0) took advantage of nearly every possession and scored three touchdowns in the first quarter alone, giving Foley a 20-6 lead heading into the second quarter.

Wide-out Mike Washington scored first on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Devin Smith, who threw 6-of-14 for 169 yards and two touchdowns by halftime.

Then, Smith hit the No.1 high school recruit in the nation, Julio Jones, with a 46-yard bomb midway through the second quarter, taking the Lions up 13-0.

Jones had four receptions for 114 yards and one touchdown by halftime.

LaVance Mitchell pummeled through the Poets goal-line defense for a 1-yard touchdown, 20-6, with 2:29 remaining in the first quarter as the Lions began their dominating unanswered scoring streak throughout the rest of game.

The Poets offense sputtered against a top-notch and aggressive Lions defense that held Sidney Lanier’s quarterback Shaquille Love to 12 yards passing on 6-of-10 attempts by the half, and Robert Lester picked Love in the third quarter.

Mitchell carried the ball 13 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns by halftime, adding the Lions fourth score with just 46 seconds remaining in the half.

Seven seconds later, Foley scored again when a Poets kickoff returner was smacked by a Lions defender within seconds of him fielding the kickoff near the goal line as a bevy of Lions pounced on the ball in the endzone, taking Foley up 33-6 at the half.

The second half would see Foley put up another 21 points on the scoreboard courtesy of touchdowns by Jones, Mitchell and Marcus Washington, who replaced Smith in the fourth quarter.

Jones had his infamous “Showtime” moment when he caught a ball that traveled 31-yards from the hand of Smith to the single outstretched hand of Jones - a one-handed catch! - right on the edge of Foley’s sideline even while he adjusted around a Poets’ defender for the unbelievable grab.

Mitchell followed suit with a 58-yard jaunt for a touchdown as the Lions cracked 47 points to the Poets six.

In round two of the playoffs, the Lions will hit the road for a match against Murphy. If the Lions win, most likely they will play Prattville on the road.