A week ago, the West Lowndes High School football team barely gained positive yards against Shannon through nearly four quarters. Nothing could stop the Panthers on Friday night.
Sparked by a four-touchdown performance by senior running back Antonio Wilson, West Lowndes opened Class 1A-Region 3 play with a 42-22 victory.
Ethel opened the game with a trick play, an onside kick that surprised West Lowndes, but it didn”t go 10 yards. However, the Panthers committed back-to-back false start penalties and then threw an interception that gave Ethel the football at midfield.
Five minutes later, Tiger quarterback Bobby Potts snuck into the end zone for a six-point point lead with 5 minutes, 24 seconds left in the first quarter.
It was Ethel”s only lead of the game.
Three plays into their second series, West Lowndes coach Anthony King took advantage of an aggressive defense, calling Wilson”s number for a middle screen. Once sophomore quarterback Justin Stephenson delivered the ball over the defensive line to Wilson, he had a 58-yard sprint to the goal line with nothing but friendly blockers and defensive backs in between. The extra point gave West Lowndes the lead with 4:32 remaining in the first quarter.
On the shoulders of running back Michael Irving, Ethel racked up three quick first downs, until Potts turned the ball over at the West Lowndes 37.
The Tigers threatened again halfway through the second quarter, after two offsides penalties by the Panthers. However, West Lowndes came up big once more, as senior Dominique Kelly intercepted a pass at his 30 and returned it to the Tigers 20. Two plays later, senior Darius Farmer hauled in a touchdown pass over the middle to put West Lowndes up 14-6.
The Panthers hit paydirt again just before the half on a 3-yard run by Wilson. The two-point conversion made it 22-6 at halftime.
Ethel moved the ball to start the second half, but senior Trevor Stowers stripped the ball from a receiver and returned it to the Ethel 41. A few plays later, Wilson scored his third touchdown on the night, a 25-yard swing pass from senior quarterback Gerald Sanders.
Ethel tried to stay in the game, but a 58-yard touchdown run by Wilson and a 28-yard touchdown run by freshman Eric Harris sealed the Tigers” fate.
“We needed it pretty bad,” King said. “We know we can compete with anybody, but you gotta get some stops to go deep in the playoffs.”
King said Wilson made plays when it looked like nothing was there for him.
“Antonio is a special type of player, that makes things happen,” King said. “We”re not blocking as best as we should. We”ve got a lot of things to clean up, but we”ll take this win.”
Wilson said he has only one thing on his mind when he gets the ball.
“I want to score touchdowns,” he said, “so I do what I can do. It”s a team effort, though. We”ve got other playmakers. The linemen do their job, and I can see all down the field.”
West Lowndes will have a week off before it travels to Crawford to play East Oktibbeha on Sept. 23.
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