Panthers’ record evened up in loss to Lions

The Pine Prairie Panthers hoped to make history Friday against the Vinton Lions. After a 2-1 start, a victory by the Panthers would give them the most wins in school history. Unfortunately, the Lions did not cooperate, and came away with the 39-13 win.
The Panthers were able to strike first in the game. After stopping Vinton on their first possession, Pine Prairie took over at their 24 yard line following the Lion punt. Six plays later, Dylan Doucet found Allen Myles for a 12-yard touchdown pass. The big play on the drive was a 47-yard pass from Doucet to Javon Ardoin. The Panthers went for the two-point conversion, but failed. However, with 7:18 to go in the first quarter, the Panthers held the 6-0 lead.
The lead would be short lived. On the ensuing kickoff, Vinton’s Anfernee Dixon, took the ball 68 yards for the touchdown. Elijah Broussard tacked on the extra point and with 7:06 left in the first quarter, Vinton was on top 7-6.
The Panthers did not show any signs of panic. Taking the kickoff from the Lions, Pine Prairie drove the football all the way to the Vinton five yard line. The drive consumed three minutes and 33 yards up to this point. On fourth and two from the Lion five, Pine Prairie was penalized for five yards. An incomplete pass on the very next play killed the Panther drive.
Vinton took over on downs and mounted a drive of their own. Thirty-eight yards later, the Panther defense came up big. A fumble recovery at the Lion 48 yard line put the ball back into the possession of the Pine Prairie offense.
Another good drive took the Panthers to the Lion one yard line. Pine Prairie, being their own worst enemy, fumbled the ball back to the Lions, after knocking on the door for the second time.
The Lions made sure their next possession was a fruitful one. After four short running plays, the Vinton quarterback connected with Dixon for a 29 yard pass play. Two plays later, running back James McMillon busted loose for a four-yard touchdown run. Vinton decided to try for the two-point conversion, but failed. However, the Lions had taken a 13-6 lead over the Panthers with 4:06 left in the first half.
Pine Prairie mounted another decent drive, taking the kickoff and moving the football to the Lion 33 yard line. As before, a Panther fumble gave the ball back to Vinton. The Lions took the gift from Pine Prairie and mounted a nine-play, 55-yard touchdown drive, capped off by an eight-yard run by McMillon. The two-point conversion was good. Vinton now led 21-6 with 1:04 remaining in the second quarter and took that lead into half as the Panthers could not do much with the subsequent possession.
The Panthers took over to start the third quarter and had to punt after only gaining two yards. A six-yard punt by Doucet gave the ball to the Lions deep in Panther territory. Eight plays later, Vinton held the ball at the Pine Prairie 15 yard line, facing fourth down. The Lions did not let the situation rattle them. On the next play, quarterback Tanner Guidry threw a touchdown pass to receiver Caleb Simpson. The two-point conversion failed, but Vinton now extended its lead.
The Panthers would penetrate Lion territory three more times, scoring only once toward the end of the fourth quarter. Penalties and breakdowns on offense hampered each of these drives. Only an eight-yard touchdown run by Dylan Doucet with 1:07 left in the game allowed Pine Prairie to close the gap slightly. Chandler Johnson was able to kick the extra point. It was too little, too late, as the Lions had already scored two more times earlier in the quarter. The final score: 39-13.
Offensive leaders for the Panthers included Douglas Fontenot, who rushed 12 times for 70 yards. Doucet was able to complete nine passes on 15 attempts for 117 yards and a touchdown. Leading all receivers was Javon Ardoin, catching three passes for 70 yards.
Panther Head Coach Yves Prince was understandably disappointed in the outcome of the game. “We had our opportunities to score and did not take advantage of those situations,” said Prince. “When you get into your opponent’s red zone, you need to come away with some points. We cannot win if we cannot put points on the board.”
Pine Prairie will travel to Ville Platte on Thursday to play the Sacred Heart Trojans. Sacred Heart is now 2-2 on the year after defeating Mamou 28-14 on Friday. For the Panthers, taking advantage of scoring opportunities will be a priority, especially against a tough Trojan defense. Pine Prairie is still seeking that history-making third win. Defeating Sacred Heart on their own turf would be a tremendous way to get that win.