Pine Prairie fall to Tioga 33-7 in first game of season

PINE PRAIRIE – Hurricane Harvey wasn’t the only thing Pine Prairie Panthers had to deal with this week.
The first week of football turned out to be a tough one for the Panthers. Not only did they had to move the game from Pine Prairie to Tioga because of a soggy field, they also ended up being defeated by a final score of 33-7.
Tioga won the toss and deffered to the second half. The Panthers came out fired up to start the game on both sides of the ball. Jerrod Sims took the opening handoff for nine yards down to the Tioga 44-yard line.
After two incomplete passes , Sims was stuffed at the line forcing Pine Prairie to punt.
The Indians took over at their own 16-yard line, but were forced to punt after only nine plays.
The Panthers took over at their 15-yard line. Darren Hayes fumbled the snap but Sims was there to pick it up and scramble for 15 yards. Joel Franks took the next two plays for six yards. However, Pine Prairie would be forced to punt.
The Indians took over at their 37- yard line. Tioga ran a perfect screen pass with the Panthers blitzing to gain 38 yards. Joseph Lotts scored on the next play. A missed extra point made the score 6-0 with 2:12 remaining in the first quarter.
Pine Prairie took over possession on their 32-yard line to start their next drive. After a mixture of runs and passes with Hayes and Sims for 15 yards, the Panthers fumbled away the ball to Tioga.
The Indians would need only two plays to score again as Lotts rushed for a 66 yard touchdown. Tioga converted on the two point play to make it 14-0.
The Panthers took over at their own 36-yard line with seven minutes to play in the first half. Sims and Frank would each run twice for a total of 54 yards. Pine Prairie now had the ball first and goal from the nine-yard line.
A loss by Hayes would push the Panthers back to the 21-yard line. On third down and long, Hayes would find Sims for 19 yards, bringing up a fourth and goal from the Tioga two-yard line Pine went for it only to come up short, turning the ball over on downs.
The Indians took only three plays to get back on the board, with Lotts running for 78 yards and another Tioga touchdown. The extra point was no good making the score 20-0 at halftime.
The Panthers came out from halftime looking to change the momentum. Forcing Tioga to go three and out, Pine Prairie took over at their 30-yard line. On the very first play Hayes was picked off by Tioga’s Dwayne Mitchell. Three plays later, Lotts ran for 54 yards down to the oneyard line. A quarterback sneak by Brian McGehee put the Indians on the board once again. The extra point was good making the score 27-0 in favor of Tioga.
After the Indians kicked the ball out of bounds, the Panthers took over at their 35-yard line. Sims carried the ball for 11 yards, before fumbling, but Jordan Thomas was there to come up with the loose ball. After a Panther time out, they would go on a long 16 play drive capped off by a three yard run from Darren Hayes. The extra point by Johnson would make the score 27-7.
After both teams traded punts, Tioga would take over at their 31-yard line. The Indians would put some fresh jerseys in the game and with 4:24 remaining, Mckenzie Taylor raced 69 yards on the very first play for a Tioga touchdown. The extra point would be no good making the score 33-7 in favor of the Indians. Pine got the ball back with one minute and let the time run out.
Jerrod Sims would end the night for the Panthers with 18 carries for 116 yards and four receptions for 74 yards.
Darren Hayes finished the game six of nine for 102 yards through the air.
Pine Prairie will host Ville Platte High Friday night.