PETAL – Most football games, at any level, are usually won by the team that dominates in the trenches
That was certainly the case for Petal Friday night against Laurel. The Panthers were the better team up front – especially on the offensive line – and came away with a 45-40 victory over the Tornadoes in non-region action at Panther Stadium.
Petal completed its non-region schedule at 3-1, rebounding from a tough 20-16 loss to Columbia last week. Laurel dropped its second straight and heads into Region 3-5A play next week at 2-2.
“No doubt, we leaned on (the offensive line) a lot,” Petal coach Allen Glenn said. “I thought, after halftime, we leaned on Laurel a little bit, got some big plays in the running game.”
The Panthers never trailed, but they didn’t secure the win until they were able to run out the clock when the Tornadoes had closed the margin to a one-score game after Petal built a 45-27 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
They did it behind the hard running of senior tailback Ryan Poole, who ran 21 times for 175 yards and two touchdowns – both in the fourth quarter.
“We got off to a little bit of a slow start offensively, but we were able to come out and do what we wanted to do,” said Poole.
While the Petal offensive line gave Poole running room on the edge, it also gave senior quarterback Deljay Bailey to cut up the middle for a net of 50 yards and three touchdowns.
“I thought Deljay played a good game at quarterback for us,” Glenn said. “I think he was probably a little disappointed in the outcome the past week, and I thought he came out and worked his tail off.
“But he’s a dual-threat guy. He can throw it really well, and we called on his legs a few times tonight.”
In all, Petal ran for 261 yards, and the Panthers needed every bit of it to stave off the Tornadoes, who kept battling all night.
“Our kids fought hard,” Laurel coach Ryan Earnest said. “We just had too many mistakes to overcome, and that starts with me. I’ve got to do a better job.
“Hats off to Petal; they played a great game tonight. We just have to go back, regroup and keep working on the things we need to improve on and get better. The real season starts tomorrow.”
Laurel rode the running of junior Brayden Jordan, who ran for a hard-earned 90 yards on 22 carries and scored four touchdowns.
The Panthers put the heat on senior quarterback Javonta Caldwell, harassing him into a pair of sacks in the first half, and forcing hurried throws all night.
“We were just coming off the ball and playing our assignments,” Senior defensive tackle Mason Clinton said. “We were doing our job and filled out roles the way we were supposed to. They had a pretty good O-line; we had a pretty good D-line. We were just playing our game.”
When Caldwell had time to throw, however, he was able to hook up with his speedy receivers for big plays through the air.
Caldwell was just 10 of 27 passing, but accounted for 250 yards thanks to big pass plays, primarily to senior wideout Keenan Johnkin, who caught three balls for 149 yards.
Petal grabbed the early lead midway through the first quarter, when Bailey capped seven-play, 40-yard drive with a 1-yard run.
The Panthers extended the lead on a 25-yard field goal by freshman Sam Haydel, following an interception by senior Logan Charleville.
“Defensively, I thought overall we played pretty decently,” Glenn said. “The score may not indicate that, because it was a high-scoring game, but I thought our defense got some big stops.”
Caldwell’s first big pass play, a 45-yard pass to Johnkin, followed by runs of 15 and 11 yards by Jordan got Laurel in position for a 4-yard scoring run by senior Caden Arrington.
Bailey’s second score on a 2-yard run capped a 12-play, 59-yard march that gave the Panthers a 17-7 lead with 3:21 to play in the first half.
After getting a three-and-out, Petal was driving again, when the Panthers lost a fumble at their own 40-yard-line. Freshman Tammaj Harris scooped up the loose ball and ramble 30 yard before losing his footing at the Panther 10.
A penalty on the play moved the ball to the 5-yard-line and Jordan made short work of that distance for his first score of the night.
But with 1:07 left on the second-quarter clock, Petal had more than enough time to respond.
Poole burst around right end for a 44-yard pickup to the Laurel 20 on the first play after the kickoff, and two plays later, Bailey hooked up with sophomore Cory Jackson for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds to play before halftime.
“I rust my offensive line to help get me going,” said Poole.
The second half started with a bang, as Laurel junior Anthony Rogers took the opening kickoff 64 yards to the Petal 12. Three runs by Jordan of 3, 6 and 3 yards got the Tornadoes into the end zone. The kick for the conversion failed, however, leaving the score 24-20.
As they did all night, Petal answered swiftly, helped by a pair of 15-yard pass interference calls. Bailey finished the four-play, 52-yard drive with a 9-yard run for the score
Laurel, in turn, needed just two plays to narrow the margin again, getting the score on a 64-yard catch-and-run from Caldwell to senior Quandarius Keyes.
The Tornadoes seemed to have the momentum, forcing a Petal punt and driving as far as the Petal 12 before the Panthers stiffened, and sophomore John Gonzalez 32-yard field goal attempt came up short.
It was more of the same on the next drive, after a three-and-out. Laurel drove from its own 36 to a first-and-goal at the Petal 3-yard line and appeared poised to take the lead.
But disaster struck the Tornadoes at that juncture. On first down, Caldwell fumbled the snap and was sacked for a 10-yard loss. Then on third down, Petal senior Amari Butler jumped the route and picked off the pass, dashing 37 yards down the sideline to thwart the drive.
“I thought Coach (Brian) Jones dialed up a really good call there on the pick,” Glenn said. “We were in a tough corner there, and Amari played it really well.
“We’ve played really well in the secondary all year. Laurel has some really good skill players that can really, really run. They got us a few times, but in the end, we
It was Poole who did the rest, racing around right end on three consecutive plays, the big one a 35-yard touchdown run.
After stopping Laurel on fourth down at the Tornado 41, Poole answered the call again, this time bursting over right guard for a 39-yard touchdown, giving Petal what proved to be an insurmountable 45-27 lead with 5:31 to play.
“I just had to slow down and find where I was going,” Poole said. “Laurel’s a great team; they put up a good fight. I think this helps us mentally and helps us take a bigger step going into next week.”
Laurel kept fighting, scoring on a 10-yard run by Jordan, following a 48-yard pass play from Caldwell to Johnkin. A 50-yard pass from Caldwell to Johnkin set up Jordan for his fourth score of the night on a 20-yard scamper.
“Those (red-zone failures) are something we can correct,” Earnest said. “We’ve got to finish. I though our guys fought hard; we just didn’t execute in those crucial moments
With its lead cut to just five and 2:18 left to play, Petal was able to run out the clock, as Bailey ran twice for 10 yards each and a pair of clinching first downs.
The Panthers open play in Region 3-6A next week at Pearl, while Laurel travels to Florence.
“We play a tough non-division schedule to get ready for what I call the SEC West of high school football,” Glenn said. “We’re looking forward to going up to Pearl next week, and we’re excited to get going.”
