Paris – Last year the North Lamar Panthers finished the football season with a 2-8 record. Two games into the season this year and the Panthers have equaled the win total as they defeated Whitesboro 35-27 at R.L. Maddox stadium on Friday night.
Coming into the game, head football coach Tim Billings knew this was going to be a differently played ball game than what they saw last week against Commece.
“Well coached, tough kids,” Billings told eParis earlier in the week. “They’ll try to run right over you.”
This game can be summarized by big plays on both the defensive side and the offensive side of the ball. Four of the five North Lamar touchdowns were on plays longer than 20 yards, with the shortest play being 21 yards. North Lamar averaged 10.21 yards per carry as they accumulated 401 yards on the ground against the Whitesboro defense.
Big Play Number One:
With just under six minutes to play in the first quarter, North Lamar junior quarterback Versache Buchanan took a snap from center. Buchanan rolled to his right as he surveyed his options. As the quarterback neared the sidelines, a hole opened up towards the line scrimmage and before you could blink, he was threw it and on his way to the endzone. Just like that, the Panthers were up 7–0. The touchdown came with a price, though, as Versache came up limping after the run and did not return to the ball game.
Big Play Number Two:
On his first series as the North Lamar quarterback, senior Tyler Anthony faced a 3rd and two from the Bearcats’ 40 yard line. The score was tied at seven, when Anthony dropped back for a pass. Either Tyler saw something in the defense or the play broke down around him. Either way he decided to keep the ball and run with it. Anthony broke through the line of scrimmage and rumbled 31 yards to the nine yard line. A couple plays later, Jevon Franklin would score a touchdown to put the Panthers up 14–7.
Big Play Number Three:
Down 21–14 in the third quarter, North Lamar was faced with a 3rd and 14 from their own 30 yard line. Anthony dropped back for a pass, but the ball was underthrown a little bit. Luckily for the Panthers, a Whitesboro defender slammed into the North Lamar receiver before the ball arrived, drawing the flag of the official and giving the Panthers a first down in the process. North Lamar would capitalize as Keitron Reed would find the endzone on a 21 yard run.
Big Play Number Four:
Whitesboro running back Jake Dyer finished with a game high 199 yards rushing on 30 attempts. However, it was the one yard he did not gain that was perhaps the biggest. With the score tied at 21 in the third quarter, the Bearcats had moved the ball 38 yards down the field to the North Lamar 21 yard line. Facing a fourth and one, the Bearcats lined up to go for the first down. Dyer took the handoff from quarterback Channing Hickman but he was immediately met by a swarm of Panther defenders. Dyer tried to fight for the yard but could only manage to get to the line scrimmage. The next play, Keitron scored on a 79 yard run for the Panthers.
Big Play Number Five:
With 3:45 to play in the third quarter Whitesboro scored a touchdown on a 28 yard run by Dyer. An extra point away from tying the game meant the defense would need to once again step up and they did. As the Bearcats’ kicker made contact with the ball, several Panthers busted through the line and were able to get a hand on the ball to block the kick and keep the score 28–27 in favor of North Lamar. Two plays later, Jevon Franklin found himself in the endzone after a 68 yard run.
Big Play Number Six:
North Lamar, leading 35–27, took possession of the ball at their own 20 yard line with 8:45 left in the fourth quarter. Three plays later, they found themselves with a fourth and one on their own 29 yard line. With an eight point lead, Billings and the staff decided to take a chance and go for the first down. Anthony handed the ball to Reed, who easily grabbed the first down for North Lamar. That three yard run gave the Panthers the momentum they needed to hang on to the ball for the rest of the game and run out the clock for the win.
“I felt like we needed to make changes in who we are,” Billings said of the fourth down play. “I had a lot of confidence in our offense. We had three starters out and were playing a lot of sophomores. They did a great job for us. It was a gamble. You look at the odds. Where we were and how we moved the ball offensively. Needing a half of a yard, that was the better odds.”
Better odds or not, it worked and North Lamar is now 2–0 on the young season.
By: Greg Higgins, eParisExtra Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook