Coming off a tough 29-0 shutout loss at Sebastopol, West Lowndes football fell to 1-1 in district play and 3-2 on the season, not a place where this program wanted itself to be.
Having won their first district championship in nearly 20 years, the Panthers were beginning to build a foundation of success, but no one let that loss affect them.
West Lowndes instead went back to its strengths, which it has showcased in the two weeks since in two dominant performances over Leake County and French Camp Academy.
All of that has led to this Friday, a matchup with an unbeaten Hamilton team (7-0) that is having its best start to a season in 11 years.
“We played a really good second half this week and we’re riding that momentum into this week, feeling really good about ourselves,” West Lowndes head coach Anthony King said. “We played well on both sides of the ball. We’re starting to play West Lowndes football.”
West Lowndes football is a game that is dominated on the ground, and it starts with quarterback Elijah Johnson, who’s done a fantastic job thus far of controlling the offense.
With the two losses included, the Panthers (5-2) have scored 28.2 points a game this season and 36.8 points per game in their five wins.
When the offense is on, West Lowndes is on, and the Panthers will need to be on their A game against a Hamilton defense that has given up just 16 points per game this season.
“We’re putting more work in, and we’re ready for them,” Johnson said. “They’re undefeated, and they’re coming into our house. We’re very excited to play them, and they have to be ready for us.”
It’s not just Johnson who is carrying the freight for the Panthers but running back JaQuavious Tate as well.
He’s been able to rack up his fair share of rushing touchdowns this season and has done a great job at using what the offensive line has given him when it comes to finding holes and grinding out yards.
Regardless of record, this is going to be a game fought in the trenches, at the line of scrimmage, where the team that shows the best running game from the start is going to have a really good chance at getting a W this week.
That’s going to be the job of players like Tate and Johnson: to make sure they can make the most of what they have and stay consistent with the ball.
“We’re using our strength and speed to our advantage,” Tate said. “It’s not like Hamilton isn’t a team that we’ve played before, but it should be an interesting game. We need to play physical and play like it’s the last game we’re going to play.”
That bulldog-like mentality of playing like it’s your last is going to be incredibly important for the defense as the Panthers look to stop Hamilton’s high-octane offense that has averaged over 46 points a game this season. Only once this season have the Lions been held under 40 points, so this game might very well turn into a shootout quickly.
However, looking at recent history, shootouts fall right into where West Lowndes wants it. The Panthers currently lead the all-time series, 14-4, and they’ve won 10 of the last 11 games between the two schools. West Lowndes won 55-13 last season.
In the last four meetings, Hamilton — led by former New Hope coach Wade Tackett — has been shut out twice and has been outscored, 176-44, getting as close as seven points in a 38-31 thriller in 2018.
“Hamilton is a great opponent,” King said. “They’ve been scoring a lot of points, which is of concern for us, but they’ve also given up a lot of points in recent games. We just need to come out and play smart, fundamental ball.”
Hamilton might be the higher-scoring team this season, but with West Lowndes having scored at least 36 points in each of its last four games against the Lions, be ready for everything and anything once kickoff comes Friday night.
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