The West Lowndes High School football team scored in a lot of different ways Friday night in a 30-6 victory against Ray Brooks in the opening round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A playoffs.
The victory helped West Lowndes (9-4) equal the most victories in a season since 1995, when coach Felix Wicks led the team to a 9-1 finish.
The win also set up a trip to Hollandale next week to face the Simmons Blue Devils (9-0).
“Our defense played strongly,” West Lowndes coach Anthony King said. “(Ray Brooks) came out and was a lot faster than we thought they were going to be. We just caught on to what they were doing and were able to stop them. It will take great defense to get to Oxford (the site of the state championship games).”
The Tigers (2-7) scored on the third play of the game–a 45-yard run by starting quarterback Kwun Moore. The senior left the game due to injury in the second quarter. He finished with three carries for 33 yards and was 2 of 8 for 27 yards and an interception.
“When we lost our quarterback in the first quarter, we had to change our game plan a bit,” Ray Brooks coach Ricardo Tigler said. “After that, it was hard to get on a roll like we wanted to.”
While both teams faced multiple opportunities in the red zone, several drives failed to produce points. West Lowndes’ first attempt inside the 20-yard line ended on a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Lemerrius Fair. Fair added a pass to Tyshon Spencer for the two-point conversion.
Ray Brooks moved to the West Lowndes 23 on its subsequent drive, but junior Marcus Farmer returned an interception 90 yards for a score. The conversion try failed.
“(The interception return) gave our defense a spark for the rest of the game,” Farmer said. “We just needed something to get us pumped up for the next drive to keep stopping them.”
Following a West Lowndes turnover on downs, Ray Brooks gained control at its 27. However, a bad snap went out of the end zone and resulted in a safety.
With both offenses trying to find their footing, Ray Brooks backup quarterback Denniston Leonard was sacked in the end zone and fumbled. The Panthers recovered the turnover for a touchdown.
Just before the end of the third quarter, West Lowndes put the game away with some help from senior running back Syboris Pippins, who scored on a 10-yard run. Pippins led his team in rushing with 88 yards on three carries. He also caught one pass for 50 yards.
“We kept telling our offense we needed (big drives),” Pippins said. “They came out and did that.”
Junior receiver/running back Kemario Evans was also a major contributor with six carries for 62 yards.
“Our team just came together and we had to be on one accord,” Evans said. “We’ve worked hard in practice and during the summer to get this work and we wanted to show that.”
West Lowndes’ defense allowed only 225 yards and played a key role in extending the season.
“We need to stay focused as a team and not just as individuals,” Evans said.
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