The West Lowndes High School football team already had delivered a dominating defensive performance when junior cornerback Tray Lucious took things one step further.
Lucious’ interception capped West Lowndes’ 14-0 victory against county rival Caledonia in the season opener for both teams Friday night at Panther Field.
“The interception was great,” Lucious said. “Was close earlier and didn’t get one. The defense was great all night, so that was a fitting way to end the game.”
Typically, Class 1A opponents struggle late against Class 4A opponents. On this night, West Lowndes stood tall. Coach Anthony King had been waiting to see his full team together. He thought depth wise his troops would be able to withstand the challenge.
“We will be able to wear some teams down in 1A,” King said. “We have more numbers (around 35 players), so we don’t have to have everybody going every snap the entire game. You could tell that was the difference. I don’t ever recall having a 6-0 lead and holding it throughout a game.
“This is huge for the program. Kids played with confidence. Defense was outstanding.”
West Lowndes held Caledonia to 49 yards on 31 plays. Lucious, Artavion Gardner, Symetrious Pippins, and Adolphus Brewer led a defense that had six sacks and broke up several more plays by stuffing the middle.
“Our line is big. They can go,” Gardner said. “I think it shows what a summer in the weight room can do. This is a different West Lowndes team. We got some big guys up front and they can move.”
West Lowndes didn’t score in its jamboree at Okolona. Despite a strong stat sheet, the West Lowndes offense still showed it needs some help going in the right direction.
West Lowndes finished with 407 yards, as several of the defensive line’s standouts also played on the offensive line and paved the way for 356 rushing yards.
Sophomore quarterback Quay Sanders (15 rushes, 101 yards) and senior running back Quinshawn Lucious (13 rushes, 100 yards) led the way, while junior running back Kentrell Guyton showed he is ready to make an impact.
“We will keep getting better,” Quinshawn Lucious said. “We showed a little bit of what we are capable of doing. This win will give this team a lot of confidence.”
West Lowndes held the ball 18 of 21 plays in the second quarter and finally found the scoring column when Sanders scored on a 1-yard run on third down to cap a 10-play, 70-yard drive.
The Panthers followed with their best drive. Sanders hit Quinshawn Lucious for an apparent 32-yard touchdown pass in the waning second of the half, but an illegal man down field penalty nullified that score.
“Our defense really competed,” Caledonia coach Ricky Kendrick said. “We were in a 6-0 game for a long time. That just means you need one play to turn things around. We lost so many players from last year’s team. The only thing that will help will be some birthdays.
“For the first game, we played well in a lot of areas. We just could not generate anything on offense. Our defense held in there for as long as it could.”
Caledonia’s only scoring threat happened early in the third quarter.
An interception and 35-yard return by Jaylon Dumas set the Confederates up on the Panthers’ 42-yard line. Graham Weseli started the drive with a 9-yard run, but Caledonia was penalized four times for 55 yards in the next five plays. The teams combined for 24 penalties for 197 yards.
“We knew that was our opportunity,” Kendrick said. “We had a tough time matching their speed.”
Despite nursing a slim lead, the West Lowndes defense felt confident throughout. King said the team gave up two touchdowns on two busted plays in the jamboree. He encouraged the players to stay consistent and that would lead to the desired result.
“The game plan was great,” Gardner said. “We limited some of the things they wanted to do. It felt great to get the shutout. You could tell they were struggling to find plays to run to get consistent yardage. As a defense, that’s a good feeling.”
While Tray Lucious delivered the final blow on defense, junior Daquan Wells did the same on offense, breaking a 79-yard touchdown run on third-and-eight with three minutes, 19 seconds remaining. Marquis Banks added the two-point conversion.
West Lowndes will play host to two-time reigning Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 1A State champion Simmons on Friday night. Simmons won its 26th-straight game Friday night with a 28-0 victory against Coahoma Agricultural High.
“We have not started 2-0 in my time as coach here,” King said. “It will be a monumental task.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.