TAYLORSVILLE – The Lumberton Panthers will step out of region play this week to play a pass-heavy Taylorsville team that should make some noise in 2A football come postseason time.
Sitting at 6-1 overall, the Tartars feature an offense Lumberton hasn’t seen this season, especially in 1A football. But, coach Zach Jones said this week this is a game that’ll prepare his Panthers for tough district opponents and the postseason.
“It’s a challenge for us, but it’s a challenge we need,” he said. “I think it’s a ballgame that’s probably going to make us better. We look forward to the challenge.”
Playing a non-region contest in the middle of region play isn’t anything new for Lumberton, but it’s not something Jones particularly likes. He likes having a bye week before the region schedule starts, so he’s forced to schedule a game like this later in the season. It’s out of his hands, he added.
Lumberton (5-1, 2-0 in Region 4-1A) will face a pass-first offense this week, as freshman quarterback Ty Keyes has passed for 1,923 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions on 63 percent passing. Jones said Keyes is the best freshman he’s ever seen and his stats speak for itself.
“You watch him on film and he’s very poised and he doesn’t look like a freshman,” Jones said. “The sky is the limit for that kid. He’s a really good player.”
It’ll be a tough test for the Lumberton defense because the Tartars are opposite of what most high school football teams like to do, which is run first.
“It’s a different look for us,” Jones said. “Not really anybody we’ve played throws it like they do. The thing about it is, is they run it well, too, and they kind of use their pass to set up the run. They’re a little opposite of some people, but it works for them. They’re very good on offense. They score a lot of points and score some points against pretty good defenses.”
Even though Jones is high on Taylorsville’s freshman quarterback, he has a special freshman athlete, as well. Freshman running back Robert Henry recorded his best game in a Lumberton uniform last Friday, rushing for 166 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. Both his rushing attempts and yards were career-highs.
Jones was also happy about junior Davion Edwards’ 90-yard, 14-carry performance. Edwards added a rushing score, too.
“He played extremely hard and I think he’s kind of figured it out, found his way,” Jones said. “It was the best we’ve blocked all year. Our offensive line, I have to give credit to those guys because they really got after it and opened up some holes. He did a good job of finding them and we had a lot of complements. That’s big for us. I think we rushed for a season-high Friday night. Davion Edwards really ran the ball hard for us, too.”
Henry now leads the team with 454 yards and seven touchdowns on 73 carries.
Henry and the Panthers’ offense will match up with a Taylorsville defense that allows 21 points per game to its opponents, and it's had two of its worst performances of the season in the last two weeks. The Tartars saw their first defeat two weeks ago to undefeated and highly-ranked Perry Central, giving up 26 points, then the defense allowed 40 points to Bay Springs in a 42-40 Taylorsville win.
“I think they really get after it,” Jones said of Taylorsville’s defense. “Their front guys really like to control the line of scrimmage. Their linebackers play downhill well and have good run fits.”
