By HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD, Journal Sports
There were a few things that were certain to happen at Bossier’s Memorial Stadium Thursday night.
Either the Bossier Bearkats or the Booker T. Washington Lions were going to come out of the District 1-4A battle with their first victory of the season. It was going to be a hard-fought game, and there would be a big celebration at the end.
All three things happened. But there was one more – the game would be decided by 2-point conversions. Both teams scored five touchdowns, but BTW was able to convert two of its conversions while Bossier could complete only one.
In the end, the Lions were doing all the celebrating as they came away from the back-and-forth battle with a 34-32 victory and their first win in seven tries this season. BTW is now 1-6 overall and 1-3 in District 1-4A while Bossier fell to 0-7 and 0-4.
“This is amazing,” said BTW’s Kendrick Pratt, who usually lines up at wide receiver for the Lions but spent Thursday night playing running back and taking snaps from the Wildcat formation.
What was amazing was Pratt’s performance – 233 yards on 32 carries with four touchdowns (5, 5, 32, and 77 yards) and the deciding two 2-point conversions.
The Lions led 14-12 at halftime but back-to-back scores by the Bearkats – a 6-yard pick-six by Ja’karvis Guice and a 35-yard pass from backup quarterback Quintarion Scott to Jayden Goosby – put Bossier up 26-14 with five minutes to go in the third quarter. Bossier’s only successful 2-point conversion of the night came from Scott’s run following his pass to Goosby.
BTW cut into that lead when Damion O’Neal’s 16-yard pass to La’Darrius Frierson in the corner of the endzone with 3:01 left in the third quarter brought the Lions’ within two points (26-20).
Pratt tied the game (26-26) on a 32-yard touchdown run just two plays into the fourth quarter. The Lions got the ball back four plays later when Bossier couldn’t convert a fourth-and-18 from the BTW 25.
Two plays later, Pratt took the handoff from O’Neal and ran up the middle for 77 yards and the go-ahead touchdown with 5:26 remaining in the game. His biggest run, however, may have been the 2-point conversion that followed the 77-yard TD – putting the Lions up 34-26.
When LaBrandon Davis scored on a 19-yard run to bring the Bearkats within two points (34-32) with 3:37 left in the game, it came down to the final 2-point conversion attempt – an incomplete pass by Scott.
To seal the victory, the Lions had to hold on for the final 3:26. They did that by going to — you guessed it — Pratt, who had three key first-down runs on BTW’s game-sealing seven-play clock-killer.
“When I bounced out, I saw this big hole,” Pratt said of his 77-yard scamper. “God was beside me. I thank Him for that run.”
He also gave credit to his offensive line. “I thank my brothers for blocking,” said Pratt, who got his first touchdown on a 5-yard run and followed it with his first 2-point conversion to give BTW an 8-6 lead at the beginning of the second quarter.
Bossier had gotten the only score of the first quarter when Christian Johnson capped the Bearkats’ opening 8-play, 44-yard drive with a 3-yard run. They recaptured the lead (12-8) with Scott’s 7-yard scoring pass to Mateo Guerrero. Two minutes later, the Lions went on a 6-play, 60-yard drive that ended with another 5-yard touchdown run by Platt to give BTW the 14-12 lead at the half.
“It’s a relief,” BTW head coach Tony Reliford said after emerging from the midfield celebration doused by ice-cold water. “By no means was this easy. Bossier fought hard. Our kids are excited. They’re gonna keep playing no matter what. Win or lose, they’re gonna keep playing.”
The Lions will try to keep the streak going when they host Northwood next Friday night. Bossier will play Woodlawn at Independence Stadium.
Contact Harriet at sbjharriet@gmail.com
BTW 34, Bossier 32
Score by quarters
BTW | 0 | 14 | 6 | 14 | – 34
Bossier | 6 | 6 | 14 | 6 | – 32
Scoring summary
B – Christian Johnson 3 run (run failed)
BTW – Kendrick Pratt 5 run (Pratt run)
B – Mateo Guerrero 7 pass from Quintarion Scott (run failed)
BTW – Pratt 5 run (run failed)
B – Ja’karvis Guice 6 interception return (run failed)
B – Jayden Goosby 35 pass from Scott (Scott run)
BTW – La’Darrius Frierson 16 pass from Damion O’Neal (run failed)
BTW – Pratt 32 run (run failed)
BTW – Platt 77 run (Platt run)
B – LaBrandon Davis 19 run (pass failed)
Individual leaders
Rushing – BTW (45-312), Pratt 32-233 4 TDs, O’Neal 13-79. Bossier (36-129), Davis 15-82 1 TD, Johnson 7-19 1 TD, Guice 3-15, Caleb Jones 2-8, Scott 9-5.
Passing – BTW (3-8-1-26), O’Neal 3-8-1 26 1TD. Bossier (6-17-1-103), Scott 6-17-1-103 2 TDs.
Receiving – BTW, Frierson 2-26 1 TD, Cardell Marston 1-0. Bossier, Goosby 2-70 1 TD, Guice 1-15, Guerrero 1-7 1 TD, Davis 1-6, Denzel Kirkendoll 1-5.
