Two weeks ago, Forney High homecoming court nominees were escorted by their loved ones across the City Bank Stadium football field dressed in elaborate gowns and suits, representing their classmates and community. Last week, it was Lufkin’s turn to have their nominees walk across the Abe Martin Stadium field waiting for their king and queen to be revealed. After the crowning ceremony, Lufkin community members waved their “Ls” in the air with pride and excitement as their band played the Lufkin school song before the game. This was quite the fitting choice, as the Lufkin Panthers ended up putting the “L” in Loss after being bested by the Forney Jackrabbits on their own turf during their big homecoming game by 21 points. While the Panthers definitely put up a fight, they ended up being no match for the Jackrabbits.
Forney won the coin toss but deferred, allowing the Panthers to start the game with the ball in their hands. After failing to score any points during their possession, Lufkin gave up the ball to the Jackrabbits who were quick to create a lead. Sophomore Running Back Javian Osborne put his speed to use to continue getting yardage until he secured a touchdown from the red zone. Senior Kicker Asher Wall got the Jackrabbits the extra point, putting them at 7-0 with 6:56 left in the first quarter. For Lufkin’s next possession (and majority of the game), they relied on Notre Dame commit and fourstar Running Back senior Kedren Young to move the ball. Kedren made a respectable effort, but the Jackrabbit defense refused to allow him to put any points on the board. Senior Safety Aaron Flowers took Young down at the 25-yard line on Lufkin’s first down, and throughout that possession and their next, multiple Jackrabbit defensive players would also get at him, including: senior Defensive Lineman Tristan Bennett, senior Linebacker Kelvion Riggins, senior Defensive Lineman Caden Sanders, senior Defensive Back Seth Hyder, senior Defensive Lineman Luke Rodriguez, and Flowers again. The Panthers finally switched strategies and tried to get the ball to junior wide receiver Kevondrick Taylor, who Flowers immediately took down. Meanwhile, Hyder snagged a ball meant for Panther senior Running Back Bacquari Murphy, and Jackrabbit sophomore Defensive Back Josiah Turner knocked over junior Wide Receiver Keandre Hooper. But in the end, Taylor gave it his all and managed to get a touchdown from the endzone, allowing the Panthers to catch up to the Jackrabbits and tie the score at 7-7. The Jackrabbits didn’t let this faze them, as senior Wide Receiver Orin Gee made a smooth catch from the endzone before Wall kicked Forney back into their 7-point lead.
In the second half of the second quarter, the Panthers made some decent deflections and it appeared that they were trying to rise to Forney’s playing level. Giving credit where it’s due, Taylor made a highlight-worthy run across the field and dodged multiple players during his route to close the point gap. Unfortunately for him, Osborne responded by making his 12th touchdown of the season, putting the Jackrabbits at 21 points (with Wall’s help). To set the tone for the third quarter, Flowers would make a breathtaking tackle against Lufkin’s senior Wide Receiver Brayden Murphy, who somehow managed to still complete the pass. Lufkin wasn’t willing to go down without giving it their all, and senior Wide Receiver Brayden Murphy stepped in as their quarterback after both quarterbacks (senior TJ Hammond and sophomore Javion Johnson) would be taken out for in-game injuries.
With 12 minutes of game time left, Lufkin knew they had to pick up the pace. Within the first 6 seconds of the fourth quarter, Young got a touchdown from the endzone and junior kicker Nolan Hansard helped the Panthers close the gap once again for a 21-21 score read. During Forney’s possession, senior Wide Receiver Ben Perin completed Quarterback Kyle Crawford’s pass for another Forney touchdown with 11:31 left. Both audiences were hyped as it seemed like it could be anyone’s game with a Lufkin win just one touchdown away, but a pass inteception made by Flowers seemed to remind everyone who the Jackrabbits are. Crawford joined in on the fun and scored himself a touchdown with 6 minutes left on the clock, and Wall put the Jackrabbits at 35-21. Osborne made a dash for the endzone one last time for his 13th touchdown of the season with 3 minutes left, and Wall allowed the Jackrabbits to finish 42-21.
Although the Jackrabbits came and conquered, this was definitely the closest game of the season as the two teams seemed to back and forth until the momentum fully shifted towards the Jackrabbits in the second half of the fourth quarter. Forney beat Lufkin last year with an almost identical score of 41-21, so the odds were in Forney’s favor from the start. The Panthers put up a commendable effort, but the real competition for the Jackrabbits will come this week when they face the Longview Lobos. The Lobos are ranked 23rd in Texas with a 4-1 record, while the Jackrabbits are ranked 39th with a 5-0 record (a 23-spot improvement from their last ranking). Last year, Forney’s away game against Longview resulted in a 46-7 Jackrabbit loss, not putting the odds in the Jackrabbits’ favor. However, this season so far has shown that these are not the Jackrabbits of previous years. With multiple Division I recruits and up-and-coming talents, as well as a sharpshooting QB who’s ranked top 200 in Texas and has thrown 55 completions in five games (while the national average is 16), and a defense who’s only allowed 31 points and allowed the Rabbits to put up 290, who’s to say the Jackrabbits won’t add another win to their collection?
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