CRAWFORD — It was a strange, sometimes perplexing football game Friday night between bitter rivals West Lowndes High School and East Oktibbeha County High School.
Eight turnovers, untimely miscues, and a pair of failed second-half drives inside the 5-yard line by each team gave every indication overtime would settle the scoreless affair.
Then, in a fitting climax, East Oktibbeha blocked a punt with 2 minutes, 28 seconds remaining and senior end Jamarquiz Page was the lucky recipient of a 6-yard touchdown return to give the Titans a 6-0 win.
“We called punt block, which we haven’t really worked on all year,” East Oktibbeha coach Randy Brooks said. “(Page) just happened to have it fall in his lap.”
The Titans (5-1, 3-0 Class 1A, Region 3) beat the Panthers (2-3, 1-1) for the first time in six years. West Lowndes coach Anthony King, who coached the Titans for two years, lost in his first game against his former team.
“I had them when they were freshmen,” King said of his former players. “I know their parents and have been in their homes. They all played like seniors. That’s a good team that’ll go deep in the playoffs.”
East Oktibbeha’s ground game mustered just 57 yards by halftime, but it found fourth-quarter success thanks to senior Kortland Petty (13 carries, 87 yards).
West Lowndes running back Antonio Wilson finished with 76 yards on 20 carries.
Both defenses spotlighted the grudge match, delivered key fourth-down stops, and held their opponent to less than 200 yards.
West Lowndes held East Oktibbeha at the 50 in the fourth quarter after the Titans had driven from inside their 10. East Oktibbeha returned the favor when Wilson was dragged down for a 5-yard loss on 4th-and-3 with five minutes to play. The Panthers rued their best shot at getting on the scoreboard after three failed runs inside the 5.
“We’ve worked on our goal line defense all year,” Brooks said. “We’ve got a high-powered offense, and if our guys can stop it in practice they can stop anybody.”
Brooks was pleased to see his team match West Lowndes’ intensity in a matchup the Panthers have historically dominated.
“I’ve always said they get more fired up for this game than us,” Brooks said. “West Lowndes was ready as soon as they got off the bus. But our guys came out hitting hard.”
West Lowndes will play host to Noxapater next week. East Oktibbeha has a bye and will play Oct. 7 at Noxapater.
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