Lumberton continues to ride momentum as the Panthers now look to earn the third straight after defeating Resurrection Catholic 38-14 last week.
It was Lumberton’s strongest offensive showing of the season thus far. Quarterback Rodney Parker threw for 118 yards and two touchdowns while running for 50 yards and two more touchdowns. Running back Shavante Toney also had another big night as he ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
“We got the passing game going last week against Resurrection,” Lumberton coach Jonathan Ladner said. “That’s big for us to be able to get our passing game going. We were actually able to spread the ball around a little on offense, even in the run game.
“Using the different talents that we have helps us maximize our offense, and it greatly benefitted us Friday night.”
This week, Lumberton will face Richton (2-3), who was handed a 30-6 loss by Bay Springs. Despite the Rebels’ record, Ladner believes that Richton cannot be overlooked.
“Richton has tough-nosed kids,” Ladner said. “You have to be ready physically. You have to be ready when you play Richton. Watching the film, they were trailing 18-6 with Bay Springs on Friday night in the third quarter. It’s not like they are a low team. They are physical and get after on both the offensive and defensive line. We have to go over there Friday and put ourselves in a position to be 1-0 this week.
“(Their) quarterback has started the last two years,” Ladner said. “He’s 6-2 and weighs 215. He’s a big kid. He can throw the football well. They have a good running back/defensive back, Devon Miller. Those two guys set the tone for them. They are both physical runners. They are going to pound you on defense.”
According to Ladner, Richton’s style of play on both offense and defense is similar to Lumberton’s. That’s partly due to Richton’s defensive coordinator, Andrew Roberts, having spent several years as part of Lumberton’s coaching staff.
“We are very familiar with each other,” Ladner said. “They are going to run the football and lean on the offensive line. Then they will play a physical, aggressive style of defense. We mirror each other philosophy-wise. They could come here and coach our kids, and not much would change.”
This season Richton has held teams to 19 points per game but has managed to score just 16 points per game on offense.
“They are multiple on defense, but if you have to say they base on something, then it would be a four-man front,” Ladner said. “They shift so many people around, and they move their linebackers and defensive line sometimes. It’s going to take a lot of preparation this week for us because they’ll show a four-man front, a five-man front, and at times they’ll go to a six-man front. That’s going to take a lot of preparation on our part to block multiple fronts.”
“We have to make sure that we follow our blocking rules and are sound upfront. It’s just fundamental football.”
