Lumberton has not only cruised but has dominated against every opponent since its Week 1 game.
The Panthers stayed true to that trend as Lumberton came away with a 36-0 win over Salem to move to 5-1 and 5-0 in 1A Region 9.
“I was happy with our run defense,” Lumberton coach Zach Jones said. “I was happy with our passing game. I thought we threw the ball well last night. I thought our offensive line blocked well. It was just that we had a couple of key turnovers that killed a couple of drives that we have to fix. We have to block a little better in the backfield, and we have some things we need to fix in our secondary.”
The Panthers will have a short week to prepare for Richton (1-3). Richton, which faced Lumberton in South State last year, has not only had to deal with rebuilding its team but has also dealt with COVID-19. The Rebels were forced to lose three weeks as a result of players testing positive for the virus.
“They lost a lot of kids from last year,” Jones said. “Then they had that two-week layoff because of COVID so they are kind of getting their feet under them. They are playing a lot of young kids. They play extremely hard and are really well-coached. Those young kids get better and better as they play. We know we are going to get their best shot Friday night.”
Last week, Richton lost to Resurrection Catholic 28-0 and has averaged just 13 points per game. According to Jones, the Rebels’ offense is much similar to his team’s, which helps provide another edge.
“They run a lot of the same formations as us on offense,” Jones said. “That’ll be something familiar for us. We also played them twice last year. We are familiar with their scheme. They play with some young kids. They are really good at the line of scrimmage. Their running backs run the ball hard, and they catch the ball well. Their young guys are getting better. That’s the mark of a well-coached football team because they have improved week to week.”
For Jones, the majority of Richton’s talent stems from its defense, which has had to stay on the field significantly due to a lack of offensive success.
“They’ll play in a 4-man and 5-man front,” Jones said. “They’ll give you some of both. I think their defensive line plays extremely hard, and their linebackers tackle really well. They are really good in the box. They don’t give up the big play. They make you drive and make you earn things. They bring some pressure and try to create confusion up front. If you make mistakes, then they get people in your backfield.
“I think (COVID-19) put them behind. They are really two weeks behind us as far as their timing on things and stuff like that.”
However, for Jones, the concentration for this week and in the final stretch of games is to get his team clicking on all cylinders.
On offense, running back and quarterback Robert Henry has totaled 19 touchdowns on the year and has rushed for 940 yards on the season. Rodney Parker has also been a significant boost to Lumberton’s offense as he has provided significant success at quarterback with his 71% completion percentage.
“I think he is probably a little ahead of where he was last year,” Jones said. “We probably have played him more at tailback. We want to be able to move him around some. Our skill guys are more mature, so we can move guys around. He is running the ball hard.
“I think Rodney Parker has stepped up. He played well at quarterback. He helped get our juices going a little bit.”
Defensively, Lumberton has been highly successful with Da’Byron Conerly leading the team with 65 tackles and with Jonathan Edwards returning from injury, who notably logged 10.5 tackles for loss.
“We have the capabilities of being really, but we are not where we want to be yet, and that’s a good thing,” Jones said. “I really think defensively our run defense may be the best it has been since we have been here.”
While Jones has been pleased with his team’s success on offense and defense, he hopes for his team to find an edge in the final stretch of the season.
“I did not think we were prepared to play as we should have been (against Salem), and that’s on me,” Jones said. “We kind of started clicking this time last year, and we talked about that last night. I think the main thing we have to focus on us and make sure we are doing what we are supposed to do.”
