How QB LJ Funk's perfect game led Pearl-Cohn football into TSSAA playoff quarterfinals
· Yahoo Sports
Pearl-Cohn football quarterback LJ Funk's perfect performance helped the Firebirds coast into the Class 4A quarterfinals of the TSSAA football playoffs with a 49-7 thrashing of visiting Lakeland Prep.
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Funk, a Toledo commit, was 13-for-13 passing for 174 yards with two touchdowns on Nov. 13. The Firebirds (9-3) will host Marshall County (7-5) in the TSSAA football quarterfinals on Nov. 20.
Funk's work was done by the end of the third quarter. He watched the fourth quarter bundled in a black, full-length Polo down jacket as the Firebirds’ reserves finished the game.
"Every time I can put that on, it means the day's gone pretty well," Funk said. "I haven't seen my stats, but coach told me I was perfect. At this point, stats are cool, but winning the game is much more important because we have to win to keep playing."
Funk was especially eager to advance to the next round, knowing there was a good chance Pearl-Cohn would face Marshall County. He is originally from within Marshall County.
"I am from Chapel Hill and still call it my hometown," Funk said. "I love playing that game. My whole family still lives in Marshall County, and it's always kind of cool going back down there and seeing some of the guys. I'm friends with a lot of players on their team."
Pearl-Cohn, which started the season 1-3 and has now won eight straight games, scored the first seven times it had the ball, including on a 28-yard punt return 1:03 minutes into the game.
Lakeland Prep (8-4) tied the game at 7-all when Brett Godwin took a direct snap and scored from four yards to cap a 77-yard drive. The Lions never came close to scoring again until midway through the fourth quarter, when they reached the Pearl-Cohn 12 before turning the ball over on downs.
While Pearl-Cohn coach Tony Brunetti was pleased with Funk's performance, he was not completely happy with his team's overall effort.
"At times we didn't play well," Brunetti said. "They did a good job. I give them credit. They aren't big, but they play hard. The scheme they do is smart. They move you. They shift to get people into position. They know they don't have the size and the athletes, but their system helps them get the ball to their receivers in a quick way."
Brunetti was pleased with the balance his offense showed between the running and passing games. Even before Funk started moving the ball in the air, running back Lance Donaldson broke around right end for a 45-yard touchdown run that put the Firebirds up 14-7.
"Really, it was just preparation going into the game," said Donaldson, a Marshall commit. "Watching film, we saw a lot of teams running the ball on them. For us, we're a running team, we knew that was going to work for sure."
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How QB LJ Funk's perfect game led Pearl-Cohn football into TSSAA playoff quarterfinals