Anthony King is a mixture of emotions.
The West Lowndes High School football coach is excited that playoff football is almost here. He is confident about the Panthers’ talent and potential as he surveys his players in their kickoff coverage drill.
But King also is concerned because he hears the bounce of basketballs in the distance. A year ago, the West Lowndes High boys basketball team advanced to the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 1A State title game, so King hopes the start of the 2016-17 season won’t distract the football players who also play basketball.
King will see how focused his team will be at 7 p.m. Friday when West Lowndes (8-3), the No. 2 seed from Region 1, will play host to Shaw (4-7), the No. 3 seed from Region 2, in the first round of the MHSAA Class 1A playoffs.
West Lowndes wrapped up the regular season with a 48-14 victory against Thrasher last week. The Panthers ran for 294 yards and six players scored touchdowns. Thrasher became the fourth-straight team to surrender more than 40 points to West Lowndes, which had 405 yards on 34 plays.
Senior Zack Williams scored on a 55-yard pass, Casey Smith Jr. had a 38-yard run, and Marcus Farmer scored on a 47-yard run to help the Panthers build a 36-0 halftime lead.
King said his team didn’t get a lot out of the game because Thrasher is a young team that had a lot of injuries. He said the Panthers stuck with their ground game in an attempt to keep all of their players healthy for this week.
This week, King liked the way West Lowndes started practice. He hopes the effort the players showed Monday and Tuesday carries over to Friday.
“It is part of that battle in teaching my kids and the kids at West Lowndes to learn to play football in November,” King said. “They have been so used to when they get close to November to pretty much laying down and getting ready for basketball. That is a part of the process we are trying to work through so we can take that next step and go further. We are still a work in progress.”
King hopes to see signs of that progress this season. He admits he has seen signs, but it has been inconsistent. He feels a lack of depth has played a role in the team’s inability to put four quarters together.
“I think this team has a whole lot of talent,” King said. “It is just a matter of whether we can put it together.”
King said he has stressed that message all season. He said he has seen ups and downs in team play and times when individuals who have been more concerned about their statistics and have gone away from the team concept. A potential matchup against reigning Class 1A champion Simmons in the second round could help King get the players to focus on the task at hand. First, though, King wants the Panthers to learn from tough losses to Heritage Academy, Starkville Academy and Region 1 rival Smithville.
King said the Panthers were in all of those games until their lack of depth hurt them. He hopes cooler weather and the feeling of playoff football will bring everybody together and help the Panthers extend their season.
“It is just whether we can play for four quarters,” King said. “We haven’t played a complete game against a tough team. We come out and play the first half and then fall off a little in the second half.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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