Panthers earn exciting overtime win over Hurricanes

The Pine Prairie Panthers win their first game of the season in dramatic fashion as they defeated the North Central Hurricanes 12-6 in overtime. An interception by Javon Ardoin on the first play of overtime for North Central sealed the Panther victory. For the Panthers, a season opening win, no matter how it was obtained, could be a jump start to a confidence filled season.
North Central got on the board first, as the Hurricanes drove 80 yards on 16 plays to go up 6-0. The touchdown came on a fourth and goal from the Panther seven yard line. A seven-yard pass closed out the drive. The extra point was no good and with 3:42 left in the first quarter, the Hurricanes held the early lead.
It only took the Panthers two plays to answer the Hurricanes and tie up the ball game. Douglas Fontenot took the ensuing kickoff 22 yards to the Panther 44 yard line. A first down run by Fontenot lost a yard. On second and 11 from the Panther 43 yard line, Dylan Doucet raced 57 yards for the score to tie the game at 6-6. The extra point was no good by Matt Rougeau and with 2:54 left in the first quarter the Panthers had knotted up the game.
On the ensuing North Central possession, Fontenot intercepted a pass at the Hurricane 40 yard line. Pine Prairie could not manage positive yards as Keenan Roy lost one yard on first down and Doucet was sacked for losses totaling 10 yards on the next two downs. The Panthers were forced to punt.The back and forth between Pine Prairie and North Central continued until half time. Both teams were unable to mount any type of significant drive in the second quarter. As the half time horn sounded, the squads went into the locker room still tied at 6-6.
The second half of the game saw Pine Prairie penetrate Hurricane territory on three separate occasions. The third Panther possession of the half brought them down to the North Central 30 yard line. However, on fourth and 10, a Doucet to Fontenot pass fell incomplete.
The fourth time Pine Prairie held the pigskin, they were able to work the ball inside the Hurricane 15 yard line. Negative yards on successive plays stalled the Panther drive at the North Central 31 yard line as Pine Prairie had to turn over the ball on downs.
The last drive toward the end of the fourth quarter saw the Panther offense move the ball to the Hurricane 11 yard line. A Doucet interception killed the momentum for the Panthers. North Central gained possession with 3:11 left in the game and was not able to score as time ran out in regulation.
In the overtime period, Pine Prairie lost the coin toss and was forced to go on offense first. The Panthers made the most of the situation and scored on fourth and goal from the two yard line. A two-yard touchdown run by Doucet put the Panthers up 12-6. The extra point was no good. North Central then took their possession in the overtime period. On the very first play, Ardoin intercepted the ball, sealing the thrilling victory for the Panthers.
Leading the way for the Panthers on offense was Doucet, who rushed 18 times for 70 yards. Doucet was also 2-16 for 40 yards passing the football. Fontenot added 24 yards on 10 carries. Allen Myles led all receivers with one reception for 31 yards.
After the game, Panther Head Coach Yves Prince was pleased with the performance of his young squad. “Our kids played really hard,” an elated Prince said. “We deserved to win this game. We had chances in the second half to score but our receivers dropped some catchable balls. We will have to go back to the fundamentals and work on catching drills. It is a lot easier to correct mistakes when you win. Hats off to the North Central coaching staff. They really had their kids ready to play. They are a young club too.”
Pine Prairie (1-0) will play on the road this Friday against East Beauregard. The Trojans defeated LaSalle High School 26-20 on Friday.