Like many high school football teams across the nation last year, the West Lowndes Panthers had a weird season. They had a solid regular season, ending with a playoff berth, but the team ran into some COVID issues down the stretch that cost them a game and some valuable practice time.
“2020 was a difficult year,” West Lowndes coach Anthony King said. “We had a really good team, but COVID kind of messed us up.”
The Panthers were not just good in their six wins, they were dominant, including shutout victories against Hamilton (47-0) and Vardaman (41-0). When the Panthers were on, they were on, and the offense lit up the scoreboard. In their five losses on the field, however, the Panthers were often outmatched, with all of them by double-digits.
In their playoff game against Biggersville, which played for the 1A state championship, the Panthers played tough until the Lions pulled away during the fourth quarter.
If the Panthers want to build on last season, they will have to be more balanced and find ways to keep themselves competitive in more games. During summer practices that they couldn’t hold last year, they are seeing steady improvement, the coach said.
“It makes a whole lot of difference,” King said. “We haven’t necessarily gotten everybody that we’ve wanted out here, but we’ve had good participation. We’re hoping it’ll pay off this year.”
For a small team like West Lowndes, senior leadership is incredibly important, and they had that last year. One of the players that will be tough to replace is quarterback Melvin Crawford, who started under center the past two years. It will be a chore for West Lowndes to replace his production and leadership, just as it will be difficult to replace Marcquez Holliday, who saw time on offense, defense and special teams.
The Panthers are looking for some young players to step up and fill some of those roles. King said he expects Marquez Shelton to slide into the quarterback opening left by Crawford. Shelton played some at receiver in the past but also rotated in at quarterback, which should be invaluable experience for him and should help him adjust to the role as starter. King said that Shelton is very capable of taking on the task, but the key is to keep him healthy, because he is a playmaker and can be a big boost for the offense.
King said he is also eyeing Royquavious “Cheeseburger” Williams to anchor both the offensive and defensive lines and should be a leader for both units. Williams has several years of starting experience and is someone King and his coaching staff believe can wreck an offense’s game plan on defense and lead the offensive line.
King is excited to get into district play this year and fight for solid playoff position.
The Panthers will get another crack at Biggersville when the Lions travel to West Lowndes for their opening game Aug. 27.
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