It began with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Friday, Oct. 10, and was quickly interrupted by a downpour and lightning warning system that sent fans at Wildcat Stadium scurrying for cover. When the teams returned to the field after a hour wait, both school bands and many in the original crowd had already called it a night.
Those who remained watched the defending district champions take a 10-0 lead on a Quez Allen TD pass to Diarva Brown and Alfredo Medina‘s 40-yard field goal. While the Leopards were their own worst enemy (a holding penalty negated an 87-yard scoring run and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and fumbled lateral turned a first-and-goal at the Paris 8 into a fourth-and-48), the Cats were guilty of key mistakes, too. A defensive offsides erased a Paris interception which then preceded a long pass completion and short run that cut the lead to 10-7 at halftime.
Then, just as the remaining crowd was getting accustomed to the unpredictable weather, another cloudburst began on cue as the second half started. Paris resorted to ball-control offense which ate up the third-period clock and resulted in an Allen TD run and a second TD pass to sophomore running back Ja’Kerion Brown.
With Paris poised to deliver the knockout blow, Mother Nature intervened with a sucker punch and another lightning delay as the fourth quarter was about to begin. In the old days, it wouldn’t have mattered. Teams would have played through all kinds of bad weather, but new-found respect for lightning’s power have placed ultimate decision making under technology’s grasp. And the lightning detector kept responding, “No way.”
Finally, around midnight and with another large line of storms approaching, the two teams surrendered to the stormy night. Although the prospect of L-E pulling off a last-quarter comeback was remote, the Leopards opted to return to Paris on Saturday and resume play at 2 p.m., as is their option under UIL rules.
So Saturday, this time with fewer than 200 diehard fans (including 3 dedicated souls on the visitors’ side) watching, the schools made it official. With a new officiating crew on-hand and with both teams switching from their customary home vs. road uniforms to save on overnight laundry, Paris was content to run out the remaining clock time on offense. Meanwhile, the Wildcat defense guarded against big plays and allowed the Leopards to complete a few short passes.
L-E made a couple of more trips inside the Paris 20 but ran out of downs on both occasions. Nineteen hours and two minutes after it started, the District 7-4A-1 opener between the two preseason co-favorites was over. The Cats had their 18th straight district win and improved to 4-2, while L-E is at a season crossroads with a 1-5 record.
Allen, who earned District Offensive MVP honors as a sophomore, showed he’s ready to repeat in his junior campaign by rushing for 147 yards on 20 carries and passing for 101 more (on 9 of 18 attempts). Junior running back Dren Rollerson gained a tough 97 yards on 22 rushes and had 3 catches for 37. Ja’Kerion Brown rushed for 51 on 10 tries and caught a pair of passes for 27.
Senior all-State linebacker Jordan Williams also had a big game with 16 tackles, including 3 sacks. Fellow linebacker Connor Hummel and lineman Ty Gray each recorded 9 stops for the defense which held the speedy L-E attack to just 10 yards rushing and 245 yards overall.
As Paris head coach Stephen Hohenberger departed the field, he stopped for a private moment with wife Heather then headed towards the fieldhouse telling her, “I’m heading home.” He paused and corrected himself, “Well, my second home.”
The coaching staff’s already long weekend was far from over. After dissecting the two-day marathon game, they then have to prepare for another huge district hurdle. They host the Princeton Panthers next Friday, Oct. 17, back at Wildcat Stadium. Like Paris, Princeton was also a district champion in 2013 before UIL realignment brought them into the same district for 2014. The Panthers bring an impressive 5-1 record in the game, and they have their own top-notch junior quarterback in Colt Collins.
But on an optimistic note, the extended forecast calls for clear skies.
Scoring Summary:
- Paris 7, L-E 0. Diarva Brown 19 pass from Quez Allen (Leonel Gutierrez kick), 11:08, 2q. After a short punt, the Cats take over at the L-E 31 to start their third possession. They score in 3 plays when Allen finds Brown on a crossing pattern.
- Paris 10, L-E 0. Alfredo Medina 40 FG, 4:27, 2q. Another Leopard punt pins Paris at its own 4, but the Cats move downfield in 11 plays into the red zone. The drive stalls on a chop block called on a nice Dren Rollerson run to the L-E 5.
- L-E 7, Paris 10. Ricardo Lockett 3 run (EP kick), 32.7, 2q. The Leopards take over at their 38 with 1:31 left on the clock. A Paris defense offsides negates an interception, and a 34-yard pass from Kemon Freeman to Malcolm Gant sets the plate for Lockett’s short run off right tackle.
- Paris 17, L-E 7. Quez Allen 10 run (Gutierrez kick), 8:37, 3q. Cats switch to their power run attack to drive 61 yards in 10 plays after receiving the second-half kickoff.
- Paris 24, L-E 7. Ja’Kerion Brown 11 pass from Allen (Gutierrez kick), 42.9, 3q. Cats eat up valuable minutes off the clock on a 13-play drive with just 4 passes. Allen hits Brown on a third-and-goal, and the sophomore stretches to the goalline.
How Wildcat Opponents Fared:
- Mount Pleasant (0-5) lost to Hallsville, 21-9
- Melissa (1-5) lost to Gilmer, 63-0
- Tyler Chapel Hill (3-3) beat Brownsboro, 56-20
- Palestine (0-6) lost to Kilgore, 41-6
- Argyle (6-0) beat Carrollton Ranchview, 72-42
- Liberty-Eylau (1-5) lost to Paris, 24-7
- Princeton (5-1) beat Quinlan Ford, 49-17
- Pittsburg (2-4) beat North Lamar, 36-0
- Quinlan Ford (0-6) lost to Princeton, 49-17
- North Lamar (4-2) lost to Pittsburg, 36-0
By: Tim Taylor, eParisExtra
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