PINE PRAIRIE -- After a valiant effort last Wednesday in their loss to Montgomery, the Pine Prairie Panthers were looking to carry some of their momentum over to Friday night’s contest with the Port Barre Red Devils.
However, Port Barre had other plans as they took down the Panthers 36-0 in a non-district contest.
With the loss, Pine Prairie falls to 0-3 on the season. The Panthers will travel to Prairie Rhonde this coming Friday for a showdown with the Northwest Raiders.
After the game, Pine Prairie head coach David Michael Carrell talked about areas that the Panthers will have to improve upon if they wish to collect their first win of the season.
“We just have to get better, and I have to get better at preparing our guys for game situations,” stated Carrell. “It’s hard when players are having to switch positions in the middle of a game and having to know what to do at that new position,”
“One thing is for sure, I can see this team is starting to embrace the desire to play hard,” Carrell continued. “The bulk of our starters are juniors and sophomores. Right now they are learning how to become grown men and build character through playing tough teams like Port Barre. This is what will grow our team down the road.”
The game started with a gamble by Carrell and his coaching staff. On their first drive of the night, the Panthers went for it on fourth and two from their 34-yard line.
However, Port Barre stopped running back Hayden Bourgeious one yard short of the first down marker and took over possession of the ball.
Five plays later, Red Devil running back Dah’mond Thomas slashed his way into the end zone from one yard out to give Port Barre the early lead. The PAT was no good but the Red Devils led 6-0 with 7:31 to go in the first quarter.
On Pine Prairie’s next possession, the Panthers lost yardage back to their 25-yard line and were forced to punt once more. A bad snap sent the ball toward the Pine Prairie goal line, where punter Wyatt Welch kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone to give Port Barre the team safety.
Following the free kick, the Red Devils began their next drive at the Panther 43-yard line. On the fourth play of the possession, Thomas bolted his way for pay dirt, increasing the Port Barre lead. The kick was wide left, however the Red Devils now owned a 14-0 lead at the 4:26 mark of the first quarter.
Port Barre would once again put points on the board in the first quarter after forcing another three and out from Pine Prairie. Taking over at their 20-yard line, the Red Devils needed just three plays to score.
On first and 15 from their 34-yard line, quarterback Evan Hatten sprinted past the Panther defenders for a 66 yard touchdown run. Thomas added the two-point run and with 23 seconds to go in the opening period, Port Barre held a 22-0 lead.
Pine Prairie managed to reach into Red Devil territory on their next possession. But, a loss of eight yards on second down put them out of position to pick up the first down and forced another punt.
After the teams traded possessions, Port Barre got back on the board once again. This time the Red Devils drove 83 yards in six plays, capping off the drive with a five yard Hatten touchdown run. Terrol Roberts added the extra point to give Port Barre a 29-0 lead with 2:20 to go in the first half.
The Red Devils would add their final score in the third quarter of play.
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Tracey Jagneaux
Sports Editor