By T. Scott Boatright
GRAMBLING — Lincoln Prep used a strong start to pick up its first win ever over Cedar Creek as the Panthers defeated the Cougars 30-6 at Panthers Field.
It only took Lincoln Prep 53 seconds to get its first score as defensive end Jamarion Pouncey snagged an interception and rumbled 24 yards to paydirt to put the Panthers on top 6-0 after the two-point conversion attempt failed.
The Panthers pushed the lead to 12-0 at the 11:28 mark of the second quarter as senior running back D’Tavion Wright ran for 31 yards on three carries before breaking free for a 12-yard scoring scamper on a 60-yard drive aided by a 12-yard pass from Jordan Brown to Trey Spann.
Lincoln Prep held Cedar Creek to a three-and-out on the next possession before a long punt return by Cenario Wilson set the Panthers up at the Cougars’ 30-yard line. Four plays later senior running back Jaylin Huntley slashed into the end zone on a one-yard run that pushed the Panthers’ lead to 18-0 with 9:20 remaining before halftime.
“Their size really got to us more than their speed,” said Cedar Creek coach William Parkerson. “I thought after the first quarter ewe were able to adjust to their size and we started getting some penetration and playing with better pad leverage.
“We had plays in the backfield, but if they could get loose they had guys who could run. They’re an older team and they’re big and they’re fast and they’re playing well right now. They’re good at what they do and give them all the credit for executing and beating us.”
Trailing 18-0 at intermission, the Cougars came out strong to open the second half. They recovered an onsides kick (Lincoln Prep deferred on the opening coin toss) as their kicker ran toward the ball before stopping and letting the closest Cougar to his right boot the ball which was recovered by a teammate at the Lincoln Prep 41-yard line.
On the next play Cedar Creek used more trickeration as quarterback Cason Floyd pitched the ball to James Myers, who pitched the ball to Payton Harris on a double reverse before Harris pitched the ball back to Floyd, who fired a pass caught by Myers midstride at the Lincoln Prep 21.
Myers raced the rest of the way to the end zone to cut the Panthers’ lead to 18-6 after the two-point conversion attempt failed only 13 seconds in the third quarter.
“We told them at halftime we were going to do the onsides kick and run the double reverse and we did them both perfectly,” Parkerson said. “But then we had them in third-and-eight and a guy broke the tackle and got a first down. I really think if we would have been able to get off the field on that third-and-eight it’s possibly a different ballgame, but we let them get the first and continue the drive.”
But Lincoln Prep countered on the ensuing possession as Brown hit Tyler Wimberly on a 30-yard scoring strike to take a 24-6 advantage with 8:29 remaining in the third stanza.
The Panthers’ final score came with 4:26 remaining in the contest as Wilson broke free on a 30-yard scoring scamper.
“The big play has haunted us all year,” Parkerson said. “We get two good plays and then on third down they hit us with a big one. I was proud of the way we fought until the bitter end and we do that every week. As coaches we’ve got to be better and scheme up some points.”
Lincoln Prep coach Glen Hall said earning the hard-fought win was critical for his Panthers this late in the regular season.
“It’s really big, you’re looking to win these next two games and get a good spot in the playoffs,” Hall said. “It’s all about the challenge. You’ve got the preseason, you’ve got the regular season and you’ve got the postseason. But when it’s time for the postseason we’ve got to be ready.”
But that doesn’t mean Hall was happy with everything he saw from his team.
“Every time we put ourselves in a scoring position our center snapped the ball over the quarterback’s head and sent it rolling on the ground (backwards),” Hall said. “And he missed practice some this week. I’m not happy about that.
“The guys that came to practice played hard and that’s the reason we won. But it’s just a different situation when you can’t get everybody to come to practice every day because they have something going on at home. It’s just tough. Coaching is a tough field to be in right now. I love it, I love the kids, but I also want to teach life lessons. And that lesson is that if you don’t work, you don’t get paid.”
Hall also wasn’t relishing in the fact that the win was Lincoln Prep’s first ever over Cedar Creek. The last time a Grambling-based high school defeated the Cougars came in 2014 when Grambling Lab won 8-7.
“I didn’t think about that one time and never said anything about it one time,” Hall said. “I think this team has the ability to beat a lot of people. I just concentrate on the positive and the negative and make sure we point out both. Now I’m sure for the players to beat a crosstown or cross-parish team is big, but we’re just trying to make sure we’re executing the things we’ve got to do.”
Next up for Cedar Creek (1-7 overall and 1-2 in District 1-1A) will be a home game against Arcadia next week.
“We gotta keep doing what we’re doing,” Parkerson said. “We practice great every week. We play hard. We play intense and as physical as they can. We just gotta keep doing what we’re doing and try to get these last two (games).”
Lincoln Prep now stands at 5-3 overall and 2-2 in District with a game scheduled to be played at Plain Dealing next Friday.
But Plain Dealing had to back out of this week’s scheduled game at Jonesboro-Hodge because it currently doesn’t have 11 healthy players to put out on the field.
It remains unclear if the Lions will have enough players to try and host Lincoln Prep next Friday.
“I talked to (Plain Dealing’s) coach earlier in the week and he said they’ve got a couple of injuries and that if they get better they’ll play but if they don’t get better they won’t,” Hall said of next week’s scheduled game. “They want to play because it’s their Senior Night. I just told him to let me know as soon as possible early in the week because I’m really trying to find somebody to play and hopefully get some power ranking points.
But Hall isn’t sure he can schedule another opponent this late in the season.
“I’ve looked and it’s pretty tight right now,” Hall said. “I want to play. I want an off week earlier in the year because you can clean stuff up after that. I hate being off Week 8 or Week 9. It hurts a team I think.”
