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REIDSVILLE - Reidsville defensive lineman Damien Lee knew that Forest Hill's Juanne Blount was an excellent athlete. That's why he wanted to send a message early.

The very first time Blount, the Yellow Jackets quarterback, tried to run the ball, Lee was there to throw him for a 3-yard loss.

That set the tone for an easy 53-14 win for the Rams, sending them back to the 2-AA state championship to defend their title. They'll play East Lincoln at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh a week from today at 11 a.m.

"Our main goal was to stop (Blount)," said Lee. "I think that play sent the message that we came to play and we weren't going to back down. We were just trying to contain him."

Reidsville coach Jimmy Teague said that the Forest Hills' scheme called for only one blocker to be on Lee most of the game. He made them pay with several tackles for losses and two sacks.

"You better put two (blockers) on him and even then he's hard to stop," Teague said.

In addition to the defense holding Forest Hills to only seven points on offense (the other score came on a Blount kickoff return), the Rams saw Ray Ray Butchee throw two touchdown passes. Butchee had been injured for five games, but saw limited action for the first time to inspire his teammates.

"He's not going to be 100 percent, but he is still our leader," said Teague. "He made two great throws."

The Rams have now won 31 straight games, the longest streak in the state and will have a chance to finish 16-0 for the second season in a row, something that has never happened in Reidsville football history.

"It was all about senior leadership," Teague said of his team. "When Ray Ray went down with that injury they rallied the other players. That's the reason we're back because of their leadership."

The Rams got rolling on their first possession when they used a couple of long runs and a short pass to get into the red zone. The first run came from quarterback Tyrell Houghton, who scampered 17 yards on a third down play. Aaron Easton followed that with a 15-yard run. Mike Stacey would put the finishing touches on the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run and a quick 6-0 lead.

But Reidsville wasn't done scoring in the first quarter. The Yellow Jackets fumbled on their next possession and Kenzell Doe recovered for the Rams. After a 16-yard run by Houghton, Ray Ray Butchee came into the game and hit Lyshod Graves with a short screen pass that Graves turned into a 19-yard touchdown and a 14-0 Reidsville lead.

A 45-yard run by Houghton set up another Reidsville touchdown early in the second quarter. This time Stacey took it in from three-yards out, giving the Rams a 20-0 lead.

The Rams rounded out the scoring after a 40-yard run by Easton. E.J. Foster took it in from the 1-yard line and the Rams rolled into halftime with a 26-0 lead.

While the offense was running all over the Yellow Jackets, the Reidsville defense was holding the Forest Hills offense to 69 total yards in the first half. The two times that the Yellow Jackets had opportunities to score, they went for it on fourth down deep in Rams territory and both times failed.

R - Mike Stacey 2 run (kick failed)

R - Lyshod Graves 19 pass from Ray Ray Butchee (Tyrell Houghton run)

R - Stacey 3 run (kick failed)

R - E.J. Foster 1 run (pass failed)

R - McGirt 65 pass from Butchee (Williams kick)

R - E.J. Foster 6 run (kick failed)

FH - Juanne Blount 86 kickoff return (Ian Baker kick)

FH - Randall Horne 14 pass form Blount (Baker kick)

R - Foster 6 3 run (Williams kick)

R - Aaron Easton 54 run (Williams kick)