FINDING A SEAM—Amite running back Tywond Magee (35) tries to escape from the grasp of Kentwood defender Jenaro Smith (18) during Thursday’s clash of top-ten teams in Russell Memorial Stadium. The Warriors, ranked No. 7 in Class 3A, defeated the Class 1A second-ranked Kangaroos 35-6. Photo by John Lenz

Indy punt woes help Ehret roll; Loranger saws off Raiders

By John Lenz, Mike Kiral and Pat Mashburn

AMITE-That first victory as head coach at his alma mater was well worth the wait for new Amite coach Alden Foster.

Foster's seventh-ranked Warriors gave a top-ranked performance Thursday, overpowering a talented Kentwood team 35-6 in their hurricane-delayed season opener.

In other games Thursday, John Ehret took a 27-0 halftime lead on its way to a 27-6 win at Independence while Loranger opened the season with a 40-14 win over Pine.

Amit flashed the whole package - a stout running game led by Jermil Perkins with 21 carries for 129 yards and two touchdowns, balanced by a passing attack that was effective enough at times to keep the Roos off balance and offered a 47-yard scoring bomb from Brandon Mitchell to Rodriguez Sibley.

And the defense held Kentwood out of the end zone until the final seven minutes before surrendering the shutout.

All in all, a lot to like for Foster.

“We executed well,” Fos-ter said. “We had the numbers advantage we wanted to take advantage of. We wanted to spread them out and went no huddle. Even if we didn't score, that was the game plan, to make them move because they had a bunch going both ways, and then we wanted to pound them.

“It worked to perfection. Jermil Perkins ran well, and then we play-actioned and hit them with the big play.”

Kentwood, meanwhile, sputtered from the get-go, fumbling the game's first two snaps and never really finding an offensive rhythm. The Roos fell behind in field position early and Amite capitalized with a four-play, 31-yard drive to its first points on Perkins' 6-yard touchdown run.

The Warriors then broke the Roos by surviving Eugene Buckner's 44-yard run and stopping Kentwood on downs at the Amite 13.

The Warriors then turned around and drove 87 yards in seven plays, the biggest on quarterback Brandon Mitchell's 47-yard deep ball to Sibley for the score. Gary Bryant plowed in for a two-point conversion run to make it 14-0 early in the second period

Perkins then capped off another sustained march that took the Warriors 62 yards in 10 plays. Mitchell had a key third-down conversion on a 14-yard pass to Sean Slaven, and Perkins had the last three carries for 18, nine and the scoring run from two yards out. Slaven's conversion kick made it 21-0 at the half.

“We knew depth was going to be a big concern,” Kentwood coach David Currier said. “I guess the hurricane, the week off really hurt us. All our kids didn't even practice all week. Kevante Diamond, our starting linebacker, went out with an ankle injury, then we all started cramping up.

“We were hanging on for survival against a strong football team.”

Amite padded its lead with another long march that only covered 54 yards but took eight plays and included five penalties. Warrior running back Eric Sevin converted on 3rd-and-2 with a six-yard run, then ran it in from the one to make it 28-0 with 11:45 remaining.

Kentwood finally got a big play when quarterback Bobby Earl hooked up with Derriel Hookfin on a 39-yard long ball, and Earl also had a 20-yard keeper. Earl then capped the drive with a four-yard TD pass to Hookfin, but Amite blocked the PAT kick to leave it 28-6 with 6:57 remaining.

Amite's second offense then punched in the final score on a 12-yard quarterback draw by Todd Mabry with 2:07 to play.

“Our goal was to come in and contain (Tevin) Coggins and Bobby Earl and not give up the big play backside to No. 2, Hookfin,” Foster said. “We were able to do that and I'm proud of the defense, proud of the entire effort of the team, after a week layoff to come out and make an impressive performance against Kentwood.

“It's a big win for us.”

John Ehret 27, Independence 6

INDEPENDENCE - Independence's chances of upsetting Class 5A fourth-ranked John Ehret were quickly blocked out Thursday night.

Ehret converted two blocked punts into touchdowns in taking a 27-0 halftime lead on its way to a 27-6 victory in the season opener for both teams.

Independence put together a drive to the Ehret 27-yard line on the opening possession of the game as Chris Carter hit Elroy Duncan for 16 yards, then dashed off the right side for 20 yards. But Carter fumbled snap on third down before throwing incomplete on fourth down.

Ehret quickly turned the momentum as Craig Johnson took a quick hitch from Rico Jones in the right flat and raced 70 yards for the score. The extra point was wide right, leaving the score 6-0 at the 7:27 mark of the first quarter.

A holding call pushed the Tigers back to their 4 on the next possession. Malik Melancon then rushed in to block Andrew Coslan's punt with Lamin Barrow recovering it in the end zone. Deante´ Triplett ran up the middle for the conversion, making it 14-0 with 4:06 left in the quarter.

"I thought we were playing on eggshells," Indy coach Keith Carona said. "Our first drive was really good, but we fumbled the snap on third-and-2 and that really hurt us. Then they had the big play and two blocked punts.

“We haven't seen that kind that kind of rush yet. We haven't simulated it in practice. We're going to do some of that next week, simulate some hard rush at practice. We did better job of getting it off quicker (after the first two).”

Clayton Rowan and Dalvin Harris blocked another punt by Coslan early in the second quarter with Ehret taking over at the Indy 30. On the next play, Kris Howard took in a Jones pass over the middle inside the 15 and went in for the score. Rowan's extra point increased the lead to 21-0 with 6:16 left in the half.

Triplett added Ehret's final score with a 10-yard run up the middle with 3:11 remaining in the half, capping a four-play, 60-yard drive. Triplett set up the score with a 25-yard run off the left side. The Patriots out-gained the Tigers, 172-47, in the half.

A 58-yard touchdown run by Triplett on the opening possession of the second half was negated by a holding call. Desmond Copeland and Reggie Sims then combined to stop Triplett on fourth down at the Ehret 42. The Tigers drove to the 21 but Sims was stopped short on fourth-and-1.

Independence got the ball right back when Sedric Milton intercepted a pitch by Jones at the Ehret 45. This time the Tigers capitalized as Carter hit Darrin Arline on a fade in the left side of the end zone from 24 yards out. The snap was bobbled on the conversion, keeping the score at 27-6 with 1:03 left in the third quarter.

"Defensively, we stepped up to the challenge," Carona said of the second half. "Offensively, we were able to find what they were giving us and take advantage of it and get some offense going. That's a good defense. We're going to face some good defenses this year and that's as good as we're going to face.

"We like our team. The kids came out and played hard the second half. Down 27-0 they could have laid down but we stepped up and played hard. We're proud of them. But we need to come out next week and get a victory, because this was a loss."

Independence, ranked 11th in Class 3A, will play Varnado at home next Friday.

Loranger 40, Pine 14

LORANGER-What do Loranger football and Charles Dickens' “A Tale Of Two Cities” have in common? A famous passage was a fitting description to the season opener for both team that saw the Wolves roll to a 40-14 victory over Pine.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” Dickens began.

The Wolves special teams made it the worst of times for Pine, setting up multiple scoring opportunities en route to a 40-14 victory.

“We got good field position early and often,” Loranger coach Sammy Messina said. “Our execution was very good most of the game on both sides of the ball.”

Credit the Wolves' special teams for providing opportunities early. After a limiting Pine to a 10-play, 20-yard drive, Bryan Cook returned a punt 56 yards to the Pine 13 yard line. Three plays later, Eric Brown ran off left tackle for a three-yard touchdown run. A Mikiel Oltman extra point gave Loranger a 7-0 lead.

On first and 10 from their 25, a Pine fumble gave the Wolves prime field position. Less than a minute after taking possession, Nate Robinson ran the ball in from 15 as Loranger increased its lead to 13-0.

When they went to the air, the Wolves were just as effective as Brown scored the second of three first half touchdowns and four in the game, hauling in a 34-yard pass from quarterback Taylor Abdalla. Oltman added the extra point for a 20-0 margin.

His third score was set up by a Pine special teams miscue as a punt snap was mishandled due to heavy pressure from the Wolves' defensive line. The ball was recovered at the Pine 12. The Wolves' line opened a huge hole, enabling Brown to break free for the score and a 27-0 lead.

Aaron Chapman added a five-yard run minutes later before the Raiders answered with a 36-yard scoring strike from quarterback Darryl Westbrook to Spencer Robinson, closing the gap to 33-6.

While Loranger had a solid showing, Messina still saw room for improvement.

“We did not finish out the first half like I thought we could,” he said. “We got a little too relaxed, but all in all, it was a good game for us.”

A 42-yard pass from Abdallah to Cook helped set up Brown's last score as he bolted into the end zone from 10 yards. Westbrook kept Pine from getting shut out in the second half, keeping the ball for a two-run run and the try for two to reduce the Loranger lead to 40-14.

The Wolves next play host to Tara of Baton Rouge next Friday.