West Lauderdale hits the road for season finale

By Staff
from staff reports
Oct. 29, 2004
With a playoff berth secured, West Lauderdale looks for a strong finish to the regular season tonight when the Knights (6-3) hit the road to face Carthage (3-5).
Carthage was 3-3 after a 28-12 win over Choctaw Central on Oct. 1, but since then, the Tigers have struggled offensively. Since running back Antoine Williams scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against
Forest on Oct. 8, Carthage has played six straight quarters without scoring.
Running back Jerry Triplett, who leads the Tigers with six rushing touchdowns, hasn't scored since the third quarter of the Tigers' win against Choctaw Central. Carthage's top wide receiver, Antonio Ricks, has caught seven touchdown passes but none since a 22-19 win over Southeast Lauderdale on Sept. 24.
West Lauderdale, on the other hand, bounced back from its second-lowest points total of the season on Oct. 15 with a 49-7 shalacking of Morton last Friday. Running back Dameon Baylor, who leads the Knights with 10 rushing touchdowns, had two scoring runs against Morton.
A win would give West Lauderdale its third seven-win season in four years.
Will Bardwell
Columbia Aca. at Lamar
The Lamar Raiders will try to bounce back after losing to Madison Ridgeland Academy last week.
Lamar will host Columbia Academy in a non-division contest at Grey Cobb Field at 7 tonight.
Last week's loss to MRA gave the division title to the Patriots, but, according to Lamar coach Mac Barnes, his players haven't gotten down.
Tonight will be senior night for the Raiders and will also be the seniors' final game at home. The game will also be Columbia Academy's final contest since it didn't make the playoffs this season.
The two teams are no strangers. Last year, Lamar knocked off Columbia 42-14.
Columbia will rely on Johnny Spillman to lead the offense. The visitors will also rely on many players playing both ways in the game.
Lamar will counter with a fast pace and try to wear out Columbia Academy.
Scott Owen leads the Raider attack and has scored eight rushing touchdowns and thrown 16 this year. Parker Payne has 397 rushing yards and also rushed for three touchdowns, and Dustin Gray has 660 yards receiving and eight touchdowns for Lamar this season.
Ryan Satcher
West Jones at NE Lauderdale
Playing one of the top high school football teams in the state is never easy. Drawing that team the week after their first loss of the season is even tougher.
But that is the task facing Northeast Lauderdale tonight when the Trojans (2-7) host West Jones (8-1) in both teams' regular-season finale.
The Mustangs' versatile offense, which can center on either running or passing, has helped the team average 28 points per game in 2004. Before a 23-14 loss to Wayne County last week, West Jones had been held under 20 points just once.
In the loss, the Mustangs were held to just nine rushing yards but threw for 216 yards. But passing is not a necessary component of West Jones' offensive gameplan. In a 17-7 win over Northeast Jones on Oct. 1, the Mustangs passed for 20 yards and ran for 193.
Northeast Lauderdale's offense has been less effective, particularly in the early going. In the Trojans' past three games all losses the offense has scored a total of just 20 points.
Hoping to turn that trend around is Northeast Lauderdale quarterback Maurice Langston, who will likely finish the season as the Trojans' leader in rushing touchdowns for the second straight year. Langston is two touchdown runs shy of 15 for the season.
Will Bardwell
Richton at SE Lauderdale
Southeast Lauderdale has come a long way.
After winning five games over last the three years, the Tigers (4-5) can match that win total in this season alone with a win over Richton tonight.
A victory would give Southeast Lauderdale its first .500 record in the regular season since 1998.
Richton has struggled mightily in 2004 and comes into the game with an 0-9 record. Opponents have scored more than 30 points against the Rebels in seven of their nine games.
Offense has been an equally unproductive struggle for Richton, which averages only five points per game. The Rebels' 34-14 loss to Mercy Cross a week ago was the first game in which Richton tallied a double-digits score.
Quarterback Tiberius McSwain, who has rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two more, has been the Rebels' top offensive threat in 2004. McSwain connected with Kyle Nelson for a 50-yard touchdown pass in Ricthon's loss against Mercy Cross.
Southeast Lauderdale's quarterback, Drew Harper, has been instrumental in the Tigers' resurgence. Harper's 15 touchdowns five rushing touchdowns and 10 through the air have helped turn around a team that averaged just 10.8 points per game in 2003. This season, Southeast Lauderdale has averaged nearly twice that 21.0 points per game.
Will Bardwell