By HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD, Journal Sports
(NOTE – Each Tuesday this season, the SBJ will spotlight the staff’s selection as the local “Team of the Week.”)
According to Airline coach Justin Scogin, last Friday night’s Bossier Lions Club Jamboree contest against Benton was a “good gauge” on where the Vikings are going into the first game of the 2022 season.
“I told the guys, ‘Let’s just play hard,’” says Scogin, who is in his first year at Airline after a five-year stint as offensive coordinator in Leesville.
The Vikings did exactly that – and came away with a 27-14 victory over the Tigers. For its strong overall performance, Airline has been named the Journal’s inaugural “Team of the Week.”
With a strong effort on both sides of the ball, the Vikings showed they are ready to leave last season’s 1-9 record where it belongs – in the past. And they wasted little time getting on the board against District 1-5A rival Benton.
On just the fourth play from scrimmage, junior running back Tre’ Jackson gave Airline the early lead with a 35-yard touchdown run. Senior running back Kylin Jackson scored the first of two touchdowns on the Viking’s next possession with a 12-yard run. He would add a 3-yard scoring run later in the game.
“That’s what happened when Kylin had the opportunity to make plays,” says Scogin.
The Vikings’ success on offense was not limited to just the run game. Sophomore Ben Taylor, who is battling junior Preston Doerner for the job as starting quarterback, connected with Bob Patterson on a 2-yard touchdown pass and had completions of 15 and 34 yards to Daxton Chavez on the drive that ended with Kylin Jackson’s second touchdown.
“Ben was poised,” Scogin says of Taylor’s performance. “He worked very hard in the off-season to learn the scheme.”
While Taylor put up a strong performance in the jamboree, the starting job is still up for grabs.
“I still haven’t made a decision (about quarterback),” says Scogin. “We’ll see this week where we’re at. They (Taylor and Doerner) have both been great.”
Solidifying the Vikings as “Team of the Week” was also their performance on defense.
“Our defense was great,” says Scogin. “We had some issues here and there getting lined up and we got a little bit tired. But as far as the way they competed, I’m extremely excited.”
As impressive as the Vikings were last week, Scogin knows only so much can be determined in a jamboree. “The real season starts this Thursday,” he says.
The Vikings travel to Stonewall to take on the District 1-4A North DeSoto Griffins, who capped off a 5-5 season in 2021 with a trip to the second round of the playoffs. North DeSoto defeated Logansport and Mansfield in the DeSoto Parish Jamboree last week.
While the Vikings made quite an impression in last week’s victory over Benton in the jamboree, Scogin is more excited about the effort than the score.
“I’m 100 percent very pleased,” he says, “more with how we played; not just what we did.”
That’s the kind of effort he’ll be looking for when the Vikings and Griffins start the 2022 season.
“It’s going to be a great game,” Scogin says of Thursday’s matchup. “They have a great staff and high hopes in 4-A. I look forward to playing them.”
Contact Harriet at sbjharriet@gmail.com