By Scotty Blackwell
The atmosphere was a little different Friday night in the Sibley ‘holler. High School Playoff Football was anticipated by some, but I’d venture to say, not all. However, after Friday night’s dominant performance against the visiting Bogalusa Lumberjacks, it’s apparent that every coach and player on this Lakeside team knew this was going to happen. The Warrior faithful were treated to sky-divers, the home-teams’ top-notch offense and suffocating defense, and also “wow’d” by a spectacular halftime performance by the visiting Lumberjack marching band. It was an awesome night at Warrior Stadium where the home team prevailed, 37-12.
After the turf cleared and the game ball presented to the officials courtesy of the sky-divers from Kyle Towns Enterprises, the 1st quarter revealed itself to be as typical of playoff football as one could imagine.
Nerves.
The first couple of drives by each team were riddled with uncharacteristic mistakes that could only be chalked up to the “playoff jitters.” However this didn’t last forever and both teams woke up and realized it’s “do or die” time. Someone who took the “do or die” mentality to heart was Lakeside Senior #5 Taron Riley … and boy did he ever show up to play! Possibly the only memorable moment in the 1st was a Riley interception that set Lakeside up for a quick end-of-quarter field swap and early 2nd quarter touchdown, followed quickly by a Brock Case to Trevor Thorpe 2pt conversion. Lakeside sits anxiously confident at 8-0. Anxious because of the visible athleticism posed by the Bogalusa skills’ players … they looked impressive … early on. The Lumberjacks started the drive with a few nice QB runs to get inside Warrior territory and then decided to go to the air. And to quote the 21st Century philosophers Hanumankind & Kalmi, “WAIT A MINUTE, GET IT HOW YOU LIVE IT”, Taron!
Riley goes up in the air again and pulls down interception #2 (there’s a pattern here, just wait). Lakeside take over and faces a pretty aggressive Bogalusa defense and is forced to punt it away back into the hands of the eager Lumberjack offense. The drive ensues, some decent plays were made by the visiting team and the quarterback decides to test his arm again with an end-zone try.
However sneaking back around the 4 yard line, TEN TOES IN, was, you guessed it, Taron Riley, who leaps high for the grab & interception that turned into a 95 yard pick-six. Coach Ware decides to go for two and the Warriors retire back to the “Ware”house up 16-0.
It’s halftime, time for a turkey leg and some good vibes from the Lumberjack marching band. Thank you Bogalusa for allowing the marching band to make the trip and play for the Lakeside home crowd. The Warriors’ fans showed our appreciation to an outstanding half-time show with a rousing standing ovation.
The 3rd quarter was an exciting one. Bogalusa gets the ball first and is pressing fairly well. On the other side the Warriors defense is playing lights out, until an extremely questionable flag hits the ground for a pass interference call. The Lakeside fans felt it was a “bail out” call. Then on the very next play another eye-raising flag goes flyin’! The Warriors get penalized with a roughing the passer call and with 30 free yards awarded, the ‘Jacks find their way into the end-zone for 6. Not to worry if your the home team … only a few plays later Kentravion Miller (K14) bull-dozes in for a touchdown and the Warriors never looked back. Taron Riley is not only STANDING ON BUSINESS, but also on a record night with 5 (five) interceptions. K14 and QB Brock Case each score another touchdown and close out one of the most exciting games of the year. Lakeside just absolutely dominates, 37-12.
The Warriors (9-2) are undefeated at Home this season, a feat that we are all extremely proud of. No matter what happens going forward, Lakeside, under the direction of Coach Ware, has a solid foundation to build on. The Warriors look to face #6 Sterlington next Friday, 11/22/24 in an away game. Let’s have a great week, guys, and get ready to play!
It’s a great day to be a Warrior!