By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Rarely can you watch an Airline football game and say the Vikings’ defense provided the turning point in another win.
Not with the team’s 54-point scoring average led by one of the state’s top all-time passing producers, senior quarterback Ben Taylor, utilizing his dynamic cast of backs and receivers.
This exception comes with an asterisk. The game-changer Friday night in the Bossier City rivalry between the south side of town (visiting Parkway) and the north-enders was a defensive gem, a 26-yard pick six by Eli Dollar that triggered a 45-22 triumph for Airline.
*But Dollar, a senior linebacker, was a quarterback until this season.
Once he had the ball in his hands Friday, he was obviously an immediate threat, bringing his interception toward the Parkway sideline, then executing a switchback turn and setting sail for the pylon at the goalline on the Airline sideline.
He got there. Just three plays into the second half, Airline had its first two-score advantage, going up 31-16.
The next time the Vikings touched the ball, they immediately made it a three-TD lead. After that overshadowed Airline defense denied a Panthers’ fourth-down gamble at their own 37, Taylor took the next snap and bombed down the middle to his top target, Kenny Darby, who fully extended to make the catch going into the end zone, essentially erasing any doubts about who would remain the only undefeated team in Shreveport-Bossier.
The Vikings (6-0), ranked 10th statewide in the LSWA’s Class 5A poll, emerged as the sole leader in District 1-5A as the short-handed (due to injuries and disciplinary action) Panthers (5-1, 3-1) bowed and Huntington (4-1 in district) lost in the last half-minute to Byrd at Independence Stadium.
Taylor did what he does: 355 passing yards, going 26 of 40, including four touchdowns, three (19, 21 and the 37-yarder) to Darby.
“He’s the fastest guy on the field at all times,” said Taylor. “He’s the best receiver on the field. He came up to me and said, ‘We’re the best duo on the field.’ I said, ‘We are. You can’t stop us.’”
But Parkway could keep it away from Airline, to some degree. That’s what the Panthers did a week earlier in their 46-35 homefield win over Byrd, pounding away with 39 carries and 210 rushing yards by rugged senior CJ Dudley. They did it again – Dudley ran 37 times for 219 yards and three scores, two in the first six minutes of play as Parkway powered on top 16-7.
Gradually, Airline’s stack-the-tackle box strategy kept Parkway reasonably corralled. The Vikings dared the Panthers to throw, and their pinch-hitting lacrosse standout turned QB Gavin Ferrington couldn’t match last week’s 12-of-13 aim, going just 5 of 20.
“They sold out to the run and I don’t blame them,” said Parkway coach Coy Brotherton. “Looking at last week’s film, it would have been my plan, too.”
Parkway’s first third-down pass after halftime backfired when Dollar cashed in.
“The receiver ran a slant. I broke on it when he threw the ball, took it to the right side. Too many people, so I had to bounce it out and get in the end zone,” he said.
“That was a huge momentum switch,” said Taylor. “After that the offense started rolling.”
Dollar’s value was not surprising. He’d been on the shelf since suffering a broken rib in the season opener.
“We’ve really been missing him,” said Airline coach Justin Scogin. “We expected him to make an impact.”
Dollar was ecstatic to be on the field, not on the bench – behind Taylor for three seasons, and out of uniform for the previous four games. From those vantage points, he’s seen how the Vikings’ offense challenges their defense.
“They score really quickly, so you always gotta be ready. Sometimes our defense gets overlooked,” he said, “but I think tonight we proved ourselves.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com
AIRLINE 45, PARKWAY 22
Parkway 16 0 6 0 — 22
Airline 7 17 14 7 — 45
P – CJ Dudley 6 run (Devon Oliver pass from Gavin Ferrington), 10:05 1st, Parkway 8-0
A – Kenny Darby 19 pass from Ben Taylor (Ben Jump kick), 9:02 1st, Parkway 8-7
P – Dudley 1 run (Ferrington run), 6:20 1st, Parkway 16-8
A – Darby 21 pass from Taylor (Jump kick), 10:52 2nd, Parkway 16-14
A -DJ Allen 25 pass from Taylor (Jump kick), 3:23 2nd, Airline 21-16
A – Jump 21 field goal, 0:00 2nd, Airline 24-16
A – Eli Dollar 26 interception return (Jump kick), 10:55 3rd, Airline 31-16
A – Darby 37 pass from Taylor (Jump kick), 8:32 3rd, Airline 38-16
P – Dudley 3 run (run failed), 0:34 3rd, Airline 38-22
A – Micah Johnson 1 run (Jump kick), 7:26 4th, Airline 45-22
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Parkway, CJ Dudley 37-219, 3 TDs, Carmaro Mayo 6-21, Gavin Ferrington 5-10, Chase Crowder 1-8. Airline, DJ Allen 11-53, Micah Johnson 5-55, TD, Derrian Milligan 1-4, Ben Taylor 2-(-12), Team 3-(-6).
PASSING – Parkway, Ferrington 5-20-2-33. Airline, Taylor 26-40-1-355, 4 TDs.
RECEIVING – Parkway, Gary Burney 3-26, Carmaro Mayo 2-7. Airline, Ayden Baker 7-100, Kenny Darby 4-92, 3 TDs, Jarvis Davis Jr. 4-49, Johnson 5-28, Allen 6-86, TD