Enough with the history of the restructuring of the new districts. The Lake Providence Panthers opened 2011 with a 24-14 District win against a very impressive looking Homer Pelican team.
The atmosphere was truly electric. The new Lake Providence High School Marching band filled the air with spirited tunes to get crowd and team fired up for play. I'm getting the goosebumps again as I write this.
The Panthers won the toss but got off to a slow start. We didn't move the ball very well on the first drive. Thus we had to punt to the Pelicans who were stuffed by the "Blue Steel" defense to give the Panther another shot at moving the ball.
And moving the ball they did. The Panthers marched down the field on the next drive that ended in a 5 yard touchdown pass from Lamar Carraway to sophomore Albert Hogan. That short pass was set up by a 63 yard run by senior running back Nick Knight. Carraway added 2 more points to the board with a two-point conversion run. At the end of the first quarter the Panthers lead 8-0.
Homer answered the Panthers at the 4:00 minute mark in the second quarter with a touchdown run. Unable to convert for 2 points, the Pelicans trailed the Panthers 6-8. The Panthers scored again in the second quarter on a 72 yard run by Lamar Carraway to lead 14-6. The two-point try was no good. This would be the halftime score as the Panther defense continued to shut down the Pelican offense.
The 3rd quarter went back and forth between the two teams, but no scores made it to the board. The 4th quarter got quite interesting. After very tough defensive stand by the Pelicans, the Panthers were force to punt. Lamar Carraway booted a 30 yard punt to the 1 inch yard line to really stuff Homer. The LP defenses pinned its ears back and went after the Pelicans resulting in a safety and a 16-6 cushion for the Panthers.
The Pelicans were forced to kick from around the 5 yard line due to an unsportsmanlike penalty giving the Panthers a short field. Lake Providence took advantage and scored quickly from 39 yards out on a Lamar Carraway sprint. The two point try was good as Carraway hit Jalen Willis for the 2-point pass. 24- 6 Panthers.
Homer was able to get back on the board again with a 1 yard run with 2:41 left in the game that was set up by a very long pass. The two-point conversion run was good and the score was 24-14.
This would be the final score in the game. And the Panthers are 1-0 in district play and 3-3 overall on the season.
Lake Providence will host the Sterlington Panthers on October 14th to continue the quest for a district title.
Check out our MaxPreps page for stats and details about the season. http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/lake-providence-panthers-(lake-providence,la)/football/home.htm
