Fred Rice Jr. made something out of nothing.
Nearly brought down in the backfield with seconds to go in the first half of Friday’s home game against Biggersville, the West Lowndes quarterback scrambled toward the left sideline. He outraced several Lions defenders to get to the edge, picking up first-down yardage before cutting back inside.
Then Rice fumbled, the football leaping out of his arms as he was brought down from behind. Biggersville’s Hunter Johnson pounced on the loose ball at the Panthers’ 42-yard line.
It wasn’t the first time a promising play for West Lowndes ended in a turnover. And it wouldn’t be the last.
The Panthers fumbled four times, Rice threw two interceptions, and Biggersville (1-0) left Columbus with a 21-7 win over West Lowndes (0-1) in Friday’s season opener.
“It’s the worst I’ve seen my offense play in 10 years — the worst offensive performance in 10 years,” Panthers coach Anthony King said. “I take full credit.”
The problems were manifold. West Lowndes was inexperienced, turnover prone and simply out of shape. Several young players, King acknowledged, lined up incorrectly or didn’t know the play the team was running.
The coach said it negated a positive showing from several players, including junior running back Jaquavious Tate, who changed direction on a dime in the first half before the Lions’ defense slowed him in the second.
“We’ve got a lot of explosive guys; we just couldn’t execute,” King said. “As far as execution, I’d give us an F. That’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job of getting these boys ready. We’re going to try to get everything fixed.”
Much of that has to do with conditioning, an area in which King knew his team was behind. Across the field, meanwhile, Biggersville excelled.
Lions junior receiver Dylan Rowsey said he could tell the difference after his team emphasized conditioning nearly every day during offseason workouts.
“We worked our butts off all summer,” Rowsey said.
Except for the first six minutes Friday, it showed. West Lowndes scored its lone touchdown midway through the first quarter when Rice raced to the end zone from 5 yards out. From there, it was all Biggersville.
The Lions quickly answered on Rowsey’s catch-and-run touchdown from his brother, quarterback Drew Rowsey — a 73-yard strike down the middle of the field. They trailed by one after missing the extra point, but when West Lowndes lined up to punt near the end of the first half, disaster struck for the Panthers.
An errant snap glanced off the hands of kicker Royquavious Williams, and Biggersville’s Dietrich Shugars grabbed the football. He jogged three yards to the end zone for the go-ahead score, and the Lions cashed in on the two-point conversion to go up seven at halftime.
And while missed opportunities — all four fumbles, a dropped deep ball by Marquez Shelton and a pick to close the second quarter — came in the first half, the Panthers’ final two quarters saw few opportunities at all.
“We left a lot of points on the board in the first half,” King said. “Second half, we didn’t do anything.”
After Jathan Hatch doubled the Lions’ lead with a 48-yard scoring run, the Panthers had their biggest play of the night: a 45-yard screen pass from Rice to Decamby Willis.
But back-to-back false starts inside the Biggersville 30 derailed the drive. Facing fourth-and-long, West Lowndes ran a short run play, turning the ball over on downs.
Other possessions met the same fate, with the Lions’ Zyonn Mayes adding a pick on an overthrown pass intended for Cameron Blair. Biggersville, though, couldn’t add to the lead.
“I think the defense played well,” King pointed out.
But it was the Panthers’ offense that will have to improve — and fast. On Sept. 3, West Lowndes will host Okolona (0-1) — a team that has already taken the field twice, factoring in the Chieftains’ Aug. 20 scrimmage against Eupora. Okolona lost Friday to East Webster.
“They’re big and strong,” King said of the Chieftains. “They’ve got athletes like we have. It’s all going to come down to who wants it the best, who executes the best.”
Biggersville 21, West Lowndes 7
Biggersville 6 8 7 0 — 21
West Lowndes 7 0 0 0 — 7
First quarter
WL — Fred Rice Jr. 5 run (Royquavious Williams kick), clock 5:37
B — Dylan Rowsey 73 pass from Drew Rousey (kick failed), clock 4:10
Second quarter
B — Dietrich Shugars 3 fumble recovery (Drew Rousey run), clock 0:36
Third quarter
B — Jathan Hatch 48 run (Hunter Johnson kick), clock 9:09
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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