Lavante Porter isn’t surprised the West Lowndes High School football team is one of the last eight standing in Class 1A in the state.
Porter is in his fourth year as a key contributor for the Panthers, so he has seen plenty of talented players come through the program.
While there are plenty of weapons on the 2015 team, Porter said the difference between this year’s group and past squads is the talented individuals have decided to become part of a team.
“We have worked very hard on this,” Porter said. “We have come together as a team. We have been thinking about this for a long time and put in a lot of hard practice hours. We think we deserve this.”
West Lowndes’ road to a state championship will take another step at 7 tonight when it travels to Hollandale to face Simmons (9-0), the state’s top-ranked team, in the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A playoffs.
West Lowndes (9-4) earned its fifth-straight victory last week with a 30-6 decision against Ray Brooks in Columbus. The victory helped the Panthers win five games in a row for the first time since 2001. It also helped the program match its most wins in a season since West Lowndes went 9-1 in 1995 under coach Felix Wicks. The Panthers won seven games three times since that season.
After winning at home in its first playoff game since 2012, West Lowndes isn’t fazed by the challenge of going on the road, Porter said. He feels the players’ ability to unite behind a common goal started in the offseason when everyone “put their differences aside and decided that they would rather see that ring on their finger instead of sitting and home and watching someone else get that ring.”
In past years, Porter said some players couldn’t get on the same page as the rest of their teammates and preferred to be “superstars.” He said the players on this season’s team have embraced the notion of “one team” rather than “one superstar.”
Porter said West Lowndes will use the possibility of a rematch against Region 1 rival Smithville tonight. He said while thinking about Smithville, which beat West Lowndes 20-6 on Oct. 9, could be a distraction, he said the Panthers know the Blue Devils will be one of the best teams they have faced this season. Simmons, the Region 2 champion, has outscored opponents 375-18. It has six shutouts and hasn’t allowed more than six points in a game.
Senior wide receiver/cornerback Nero Nelson, who has given a verbal commitment to play football at Mississippi State, is one of several speedy weapons the Blue Devils will rely on.
West Lowndes will have to find a way to shut down an offense coach Anthony King feels is similar to his team in many ways. But King admitted the Blue Devils might have a little more speed than the Panthers.
“The guys are looking forward to the challenge,” King said. “They handled last week very well. … I am glad our guys kept their cool last week. We stressed that all week in practice, and they did very well.
“The defense is playing extremely well right now. It has been stingy all year, but we are trying to put together that perfect game where the offense and the defense are clicking at the same time. (Tonight) will be the best time for that to happen.”
King said West Lowndes will look to junior quarterback Lemerrius Fair, senior running back Syborris Pippins, sophomore running back Jerry Anderson, and junior wide receiver Marcus Farmer to fuel the offense.
He said the return of sophomore quarterback/defensive back Quinshawn Lucious will help the Panthers return to full health for the first time since early in the season. Lucious was one of a handful of quarterbacks King tried at the position before settling on Fair. He feels Lucious could provide another weapon defenses have to keep their eyes on, which could create an opening for another Panther.
On defense, he said the Panthers’ ends will have to contain the Blue Devils and the defense will have to play assignment football against an opponent that likes to run the football.
“The defense will have to be disciplined and physical,” King said. “Their offensive and defensive lines are very talented, but they are very young. If we can go in and be physical with those guys and make those guys play defense all night instead of offense, I think we will be in good shape.”
Porter knows Simmons could have just as many weapons for West Lowndes to contend with, but he feels he and his teammates will be ready for the opportunity. If West Lowndes wins, it will play host to the winner of the other North Half game between Smithville and Shaw next week.
“Like I always tell the guys, if we come out and play like we know we can play, nobody can stop us,” Porter said. “If we keep our heads clear and don’t get any dumb penalties, we will be fine.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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