By T. Scott Boatright
SHREVEPORT — Chaunce Davison earned his first career victory as head coach of the Lincoln Preparatory School football team Thursday as the Panthers went on the road and roared past Shreveport’s Magnolia School of Excellence 52-14.
The Panthers literally ran over the Mariners, grinding out six rushing touchdowns along with a 103-yard interception return for a score by Trey Spann to cap off a standout night for the senior.
And the Panthers used young legs to do that rushing damage as freshman Brysen Slate and sophomore Jabari Levingston both broke the century mark in rushing yards while adding two touchdowns each.
“It was great to get the win,” Davison said. “I’m especially happy for the kids. They worked hard and went out and earned it.
Lincoln Prep quarterback Zion Hicks added a pair of rushing touchdowns, totaling 29 yards on eight carries while completing 2-of-6 passes for 67 yards — a 42-yarder to Trey Spann and a 25-yarder to Josiah Spann.
“We felt going in that we would be able to run on them so we focused on that early,” Davison said. “That worked, so we didn’t have to throw the ball too much. I like a balanced offense, but I also like going with what’s already getting you there — what’s hot. And our run game was hot, so we just kept on doing that.”
Trey Spann also added 25 yards rushing on his lone carry of the game.
Lincoln Prep took control early, building a 14-0 advantage by the end of the opening stanza.
MSE added 14 points in the second quarter but couldn’t slow the Panthers’ offense, which added another two touchdowns that pushed the Lincoln Prep lead to 30-14 at halftime.
“They made it close for a little bit in the second quarter,” Davison said. “Those were because of a couple of coverage gifts where our defensive backs were worried too much about what the others were doing instead of taking care of their own business.
“After the first one, we fumbled and gave it right back and (MSE) scored again on another pass. But we settled down after that and made a couple more touchdowns to stretch the lead back out at halftime.”
The Panthers kept pounding in the third quarter, adding another pair of rushing touchdowns before Trey Spann finished off their scoring parade with his “coast-to-coast” pick six early in the fourth quarter.
Big plays were a big part of Lincoln Prep’s win.
Slate finished with 135 yards on six carries with scoring scampers of 49 and 65 yards while Levingston totaled 116 yards on six rushing attempts with touchdown runs of 61 and 3 yards.
That averages out to 22.5 yards per carry for Slate and 19.3 yards per rush for Levingston.
“Those two young guys are really getting it done, and we need them to,” Davison said. “We especially need them because our main running back (senior Jaylin Huntley) has been out with a little injury.
“Once he gets back we should be really dangerous because he’s a home run threat any time he touches the ball. He’s a different style runner who is fast and can turn the corner on the outside and take it all the way. And he’s not big, so sometimes he can kind of get lost inside and suddenly pop out the pile. And if he hits open field, he’s gone.”
Next up for the Panthers is a 7 p.m. home game against Beekman Charter on Thursday.
