By T. Scott Boatright
The Lincoln Preparatory got off to a strong start this season and have already won more games than the previous two seasons combined.
Now the Panthers are looking for a strong finish to the regular season and continue building momentum heading into the Division Select School playoffs.
Lincoln Prep (6-3, 4-2 in District 1-1A) will be at home to close out the regular season as the Panthers play host to Arcadia (4-5, 3-3) at 7 p.m. today at Panthers Field.
Panthers coach Glen Hall is hoping to pick up the win and a playoff power ratings point or two but says his team will have to begin postseason play on the road.
“We stayed at 20 this week,” Hall said. “If we beat Arcadia, we should move up one or two spots. But we’ll still have to start out on the road and see what happens from there.
“The thing is, we don’t want to head into the playoffs coming off a loss. It’s been a pretty good year for us and right now we’re healthy and ready to keep this thing moving forward. We don’t want to lose any momentum heading into the postseason, so we really need to be able to focus on this game against Arcadia and make sure we keep that momentum rolling.”
Hall said his team has gotten in a good week of work heading into tonight’s game.
“They’ve looked good, and everybody is focused,” Hall said. “We’ve just been going over the things we’ve done all year. There’s nothing the other team is going to do that I think can get us beat. It’s all about what we’re going to do.”
Hall said preparations this week have included watching quite a bit of video.
“I’ve watched all of their games,” Hall said. “They like to try to do a little razzle dazzle. Their quarterback is fast, the running back is fast and then they have a little bitty guy who plays fullback.
“They like to run him on the veer and try to sneak him through. He disappears into the line and then pops out.”
Leading Lincoln Prep will be its offensive and defense lines along with a number of skill position players who excel on both sides of the ball.
Senior D’Tavion Wright is the top rusher for the Panthers but is part of a three-headed rushing monster along with senior Verlanski Glosson joining Wright in providing some boom while senior Jaylin Huntley provides the zoom for the trio.
Adding more zoom for the Panthers is senior receiver Cenario Wilson and junior wideout Trey Spann, who both take advantage of their speed whether it’s catching passes or rushing the football.
Sam Williams, a senior transfer from Texas, has added power to Lincoln Prep’s rushing corps while spearheading the Panthers’ defensive efforts.
In the end, Hall feels the Panthers have a chance to control their own destiny as far as the momentum they’ve built up over the course of the regular season.
“It’s been a good season,” Hall said. “But there’s still a lot more we want to accomplish. We’re not even close to ready for it to be over. We have a lot more football ahead of us.
“And it starts with Arcadia,” Hall said. “The game is going to come down to focus on our side. If we do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll be fine. If not, then we’ll be in for the fight of our lives. It’s up to us to take care of business.”
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