Every high school football season begins with three straight nights of games. Just like for the teams, it usually takes me a week to get back in the groove of things, because football season is a grind for me, too. With three games in consecutive days to cover, there isn’t much time for me to dip my toe in the water before jumping in the pool.
From frantically writing notes in the first game of the weekend to finally settling in for the third game, a lot happens and it takes me all of Sunday to put my thoughts in order.
I watched PCS struggle against West Marion, Lumberton dominate North Forrest and Hattiesburg do what it had to do to beat Petal. For this week, I want to talk about the latter two games, because I’ve said for months that those two teams should be playing for a state championship at Southern Miss in December.
The Panthers entered Friday night’s season opener expecting a slugfest with North Forrest. After all, the two have played three straight one-possession games and both teams had high expectations entering the season. Everything was set up for another nail-biter in Lumberton.
After the Eagles ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown, Lumberton ran the ball down North Forrest throats, and it couldn’t be stopped all night. Whether it was sophomore Robert Henry, senior Davion Edwards or junior Karvoris Howard, the Panthers saw success with just about every player who ran with the ball.
With the offensive line blocking so well, Lumberton totaled more than 400 yards on the ground in the 44-7 route.
It’s not a secret, coach Zach Jones likes to run the ball. Every opponent knows what’s coming, but few teams can stop it. However, Jones has said throughout the offseason that he wants to pass it more, but with rainy conditions Friday night, running the ball was the best option.
So, North Forrest knew Lumberton liked to run the ball and it knew the Panthers would run the ball even more with the rain, but it still couldn’t stop them.
Defensively, Lumberton flexed its muscle there, too. It forced three turnovers and another one on special teams to hold the Eagles’ offense scoreless. Since North Forrest’s only score came on a kickoff return, the defense is credited with the shutout.
The Panthers did everything possible to prove they’re a legit contender this season, but it’s only Week 1. We’ll forget about this game in a couple of weeks, I bet.
The next night, Hattiesburg’s offense scored five touchdowns on Petal in a 35-26 win over its Leaf River Rivalry.
As I wrote Saturday night, Snoop Conner has picked up where he left off in 2017. The senior quarterback, who just committed to play running back at Memphis, had more than 300 yards of total offense with three rushing scores and one passing touchdown.
He flashed his speed, he showed off his power and he continued to prove that he could pass the ball effectively. The only issue I saw with Conner was holding on to the ball, but he gets a pass because of bad snaps and the weather conditions.
Offensively, the Tigers look stout once again. I don’t think there will be too many teams that can stop them enough to beat them. Defensively, however, it was the second straight week a team has been able to run the ball well. In the jamboree, Tylertown used its wing-t style offense to move the ball, then Petal running back Micah McGowan put together a 100-yard performance last week.
The linebackers entered the 2018 season inexperienced, so I have to believe they’ll get better as the season progresses, right?
It’s just the first week, but I saw quite a few things that continue to make me believe Lumberton and Hattiesburg are the class of its respective classifications.
Follow Camal on Twitter via @PineBeltSPORTS or email him: camal@PineBeltSPORTS.com
