JOURNAL STAFF
The Huntington Raiders raced to a 28-point lead after the first quarter and cruised to a 58-18 win over Mansfield Saturday at Independence Stadium in the final game of the Battle on the Border, and the last contest involving a local team in Week 1 of the high school football season.
Running back Jamarion Mims ran for a pair of scores, John Solomon had another and quarterback Cam Evans threw a touchdown pass to tight end Michael Casey to build the early lead.
“I was pleased with the (28-0) start,” Huntington coach Stephen Dennis said. “We had a little bit of a lull in the second quarter defensively and I think we took our foot off the gas pedal a little bit.”
Mansfield answered the Huntington onslaught with a score of its own in the second quarter.
“I was really impressed with the Mansfield kids,” Dennis said. “Usually when you are down 28 points in the first quarter, there are teams that don’t play hard. But those kids never gave up the entire game. Standing on the other sideline, that stood out to me.”
Sophomore cornerback Tyler Welch had an interception to lead the defensive highlights for the Raiders.
Dennis pointed to a change in his offensive line during the week that paid off for his team. Jabaria Scott moved from center to left tackle and “was really amazing,” Dennis said, with Zach Singleton coming from tackle to center.
“We felt like that was the best five (linemen) combination we could put out there and those guys did a really good job,” Dennis said.
It was the most points Huntington has ever scored in the opening game in school history.
“Just the fact that we came out and executed and did what we expected to do is what impressed me,” Dennis said. “That’s a big step because we have some difficult weeks ahead of us and to be able to do that is what we needed.”
Huntington, fifth in the Shreveport-Bossier Journal Preseason Top 10 and the No. 8-ranked team in the LSWA’s preseason statewide Class 4A poll, will play Byrd and Neville in the next two weeks before opening the District 1-4A season against Northwood.
Parkway 37, Minden 20: The Panthers, ranked No. 4 in the SBJ Preseason Top 10, jumped to a 30-point lead and cruised against the Crimson Tide on Saturday, nearly 48 hours after the game was originally scheduled at Preston Crownover Stadium.
Jaylen White collected 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Panthers, while Captain Shreve transfer quarterback Ashton Martin completed 13 of 16 passes for 285 yards and three scores in his Parkway debut.
“We played very well most of the game, but sloppy at times (14 penalties),” Parkway head coach Coy Brotherton told the Journal. “We had way too many penalties that we need to clean up. It was great having all spirit groups at the game, but the Saturday morning atmosphere doesn’t match anything you get on a Friday night. Minden played a very good game. They have a chance to win a lot of ball games this year.”
The Panthers (1-0) travel to Red River for a non-district affair Friday.
North DeSoto 46, Airline 21: Doomed by turnovers and mental mistakes on both sides of the ball, Airline dropped its season opener, 46-21, to the Griffins in Stonewall Saturday night.
“Turnovers played a huge part,” Airline head coach Justin Scogin said.
How many turnovers?
“Not sure,” he said. “Way too many.”
“Five,” Vikings defensive coordinator Zach Pourciau said, “that I can think of.”
One came after the Vikings had battled back from a 26-7 halftime deficit. After scoring to make it 26-14, Airline executed an onside kick and recovered. But the Vikings fumbled the ball away on the drive, and North DeSoto scored 20 straight points.
“Bottom line, we just didn’t execute,” said Scogin, whose team beat Benton 27-14 last week in the Bossier Lions Club Jamboree and was named the Journal’s inaugural “Team of the Week, along with earning a No. 7 spot in the SBJ Preseason Top 10 poll. “We killed ourselves. North DeSoto had a great plan on both sides of the ball; they executed and we didn’t — all the way across the board.”
“We’re going to get it right,” said Pourciau, who, like Scogin, is in his first year at Airline. “We aren’t too far off; just have to keep plugging away.”
“You move on,” Scogin said. “We don’t have a choice but to move on.”
Union Parish, ranked No. 3 in the state 3A poll, visits Airline Friday.
- Reporting by John James Marshall, Roy Lang III and Teddy Allen, Journal Sports
Photo by JESSICA MORTON