Suffocating defense, running game powers Lanett to 37-7 win
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
FOR THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LANETT — The theme of the week for Lanett High School was fighting through adversity. In the first game of the season, the Panthers came up short against Bullock County High School. And against Beulah High School on Aug. 29, LHS had to overcome a change of venue when the game was moved from Lanett to Beulah.
It turns out the Panthers (1-1) took head coach RJ McDonald’s pregame message to heart, crushing the Bobcats (1-1) 37-7 behind Rakenzia Tucker’s 107 rushing yards, Na’darious Morgan’s two rushing touchdowns and Fred Broughton’s two long passing TDs.
However, it was LHS’ offensive line and defense, which forced three turnovers and held BHS to 186 total yards of offense, that stole the show, according to McDonald.
“I thought we did what we wanted to do tonight, which is run the football and stop the run,” McDonald said. “We knew we had a little bit of a speed advantage, and we wanted to take advantage of that. And I thought we did. I thought the offensive line was the player of the game. I thought they paved the way.”
After the game, senior defensive end and tight end Jeremiah McGillberry attributed the victory to the team’s collective focus and dedication to executing the game plan after watching film on the Bobcats all week.
“It’s a good performance from all my teammates,” McGillberry said. “We came out here locked in together and won tonight. We weren’t playing separately, we were playing team ball. We’re trying to get back to the state championship. It really just came with studying. We already studied their plays, and we knew what they were running, so we just had to come out here and execute. Our coaches put us in the right position to execute, so we just had to make plays.”
According to junior left tackle Jaylen Hill, the difference in speed between the two teams also made a huge difference, and the victory made him eager to set the tone in their opening 2A Region 4 game at Loachapoka High School on Sept. 5.
“They were just playing slow, and we came out fast and dominated on offense,” Hill said. “Their defensive line was just slow and couldn’t keep up. They [LHS’ offensive skill players] did fantastic. The running backs did a fantastic job cutting up into the holes that we made for them, the quarterbacks made some good throws and we just dominated.”
Following the defeat, BHS head coach Michael Courson expressed disappointment with the result and said his young team needed to learn how to handle adversity.
“That will need to happen quickly as the Bobcats begin 3A Region 4 play with a road trip to take on another physical squad in Dadeville High School on Sept. 5, Courson said. “Obviously, 37-7 is not what we want to do. The first half had a lot of mental aspects to it. I mean, I don’t want to say it wasn’t physical, too. They got us in the trenches pretty good. So hats off to them. They’ve got a lot of athletes, they’re physical up front and their defensive front is pretty good, too. I just told them in that field house, the mantra of Beulah is not physical anymore. That’s got to change. We’ve got to be a physical football team.”
After the Panthers received the ball to begin the game, the game plan was evident from the get-go after Tucker ran the ball four times in the first five plays. However, a fumble recovered by BHS No. 1 quickly flipped the game on its head and gave the Bobcats the ball at their own 43-yard line.
Despite the good field position, BHS’ momentum quickly stalled, and a nine-play, 56-yard drive capped by Morgan’s 12-yard TD run gave LHS a 7-0 lead with 4:39 left to play in the first quarter.
Down by seven, the Bobcats showed some fight with a promising drive powered almost entirely by Hunter Duval’s 48-yard pass on a deep ball to Cam Baker, but the drive fizzled out at the Panthers’ 24 yard line after BHS failed to convert on fourth down.
The Bobcats then immediately received a gift on the next drive after Brayden Tapley recovered a fumble at the LHS 3-yard line. Khamoni Lindsey — who finished the game with 56 rushing yards on 17 carries — then capitalized on the excellent field position on the very next play with a hard-nosed TD run.
LHS quickly answered on the very next drive with a physical six-play, 54-yard drive that saw the Panthers run the ball every single play, including Morgan’s 27-yard TD run off of left tackle — his second of the night.
Now in a 14-7 hole with 11:08 left in the second quarter, BHS slowly marched down the field with a grinding 10-play, 39-yard drive that ended at the LHS 15-yard line after again failing to convert on fourth down.
That was the last time the Bobcats seriously threatened the Panthers the rest of the game.
After LHS’ next drive went nowhere, Shamar Patterson wrestled control of the game away from BHS for good after he intercepted the ball and returned it 59 yards for a TD. That pick six put the Panthers up 20-7 after Braylon Chambers’ extra point attempt was blocked.
It would not take LHS long to extend its lead. Following a sack and chaotic fumble recovery that set the Panthers up at the BHS 31-yard line with 1:25 left before halftime, Broughton overcame second and 18 with a 39-yard TD pass to McGillberry 35 seconds before halftime.
To start the second half, the Bobcats looked to quickly climb out of the hole they had dug for themselves with a series of pass plays. Riontae Zeigler ultimately foiled that strategy with an interception less than two minutes into the third quarter that gave LHS excellent field position at the BHS 45-yard line.
However, false start and chop block penalties ultimately caused the drive to stall, and the Panthers walked away with a 25-yard field goal that put LHS up 30-7 with 7:31 left in the third quarter.
Following a Bobcats drive that effectively ended with a combined sack from Terrell Staples and McGillberry, Broughton connected with Staples on the second play of the possession with a wide receiver screen that resulted in a 65-yard TD pass and gave the Panthers a 37-7 lead.
That TD ended the scoring for the night with 4:11 left in the third quarter as both teams were content to mostly run the football.
What’s Next
The Panthers will travel to Loachapoka on Sept. 5 to take on the Indians in both teams’ first region game of the season. LHS is currently 1-1 and coming off a 31-21 loss to Lee-Scott Academy. So far, the Indians have scored 35 points per game while allowing 27.5 points per game.
The Bobcats will travel to Dadeville on Sept. 5 to take on the Tigers in what will also be both teams’ first region game of the season. DHS is currently 0-2 and coming off a 49-20 loss to Handley High School. So far, the Tigers have scored 25 points per game while allowing 40 points per game.
