Trojans, Panthers square off in crucial Division 5-4A game

By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
September 30, 2004
Fresh off a 30-point win, Northeast Lauderdale will look to keep its newfound momentum going on Friday when the Trojans travel to face Division 5-4A rival Quitman.
Northeast Lauderdale, which is 2-3 after its 42-12 win over Florence, can even its record with a win against Quitman. The Panthers, who are 2-2 and seeking their first win against an in-division foe, won their first two games of the season before falling to Pascagoula on Sept. 10 and Wayne County on Friday.
In its last two contests, Quitman has been outscored 66-6.
The Trojans will look to standout quarterback Maurice Langston to help exploit the Panthers' struggling defense. In last week's blowout win against Florence, Langston threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, bringing his overall touchdown total this year to 12.
In four of the Trojans' five contests, Langston has produced at least two touchdowns.
Quitman will rely largely on Randy Carter, who leads the Panthers' offense with two touchdowns, and Chris Williams, who has scored one touchdown on offense and another on defense.
In last year's contest, the two teams battled to a scoreless tie at halftime before Quitman eventually broke the game open for a 21-0 win.
But the Panthers have struggled to score points at the rate they did in 2003. Last season, Quitman averaged 22 points per game and scored more than 20 points in six games. So far this season, the Panthers' highest offensive production came in a season-opening 13-6 win over Heidelberg.
Quitman scored 14 points the next week in a victory against South Jones, but one of its two touchdowns came when Williams returned a fumble 27 yards for a score.
Quitman has won 12 of its last 13 meetings with Northeast Lauderdale and holds the all-time series lead by a whopping 24-6-1 edge.