By Robbie Robertson
The Winston County Journal
Nanih Waiya football coach James Courtney was rightly worried about Lumberton.
And when the Panthers took a 20-7 lead late in the second quarter, it seemed that Courtney’s worries were well founded.
But the Warriors rallied to take a 21-20 lead at the half and then scored the last two touchdowns of the game to rally and take a 42-28 win over the Panthers in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs.
The Warriors improve to 9-2 on the season and will host unbeaten Hollandale Simmons on Friday night in third-round action.
Courtney said he was proud of how his kids fought back after falling behind in the first half.
“We got off to a sluggish start,” Courtney said. “A lot of that credit goes to coach Ladner and lumberton. They are really good up front and had some really good skill guys. We were very proud of our kids though and how they fought back and regained the lead right before half. We had a huge hit on kickoff by TJ Henley that sparked momenteum and our kids really played hard the rest of the night. It was a huge win and we couldn’t be more humbled about the opportunity to keep this thing rolling.”
The two teams traded punts to start the game and Lumberton struck first as they went 75 yards in seven plays and scored on a 6-yard run with 6:11 left in the first to go up 6-0.
The Warriors responded as they went 60 yards in seven plays and Kade Massey hit T.J. Henley on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 3:05 left in the first. Riley Watkins hit the PAT and Nanih Waiya held a 7-6 lead.
But Lumberton answered with a seven-lay, 65-yard drive and scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead at 12-7 with 43 seconds left in the first.
The Panthers then recovered the ensuing kick but Massey intercepted a pass to stop the drive. The Warriors were forced to punt and Lumberton went 66 yards in three plays and scored on a 55-yard touchdown pass and converted the two-point conversion to go up 20-7.
But that’s where the Warriors started to take over. Nanih Waiya then went 57 yards in three plays as Korben Sanders scored on a 33-yard run with 4:31 left in the half. Watkins hit the PAT to cut the lead to 20-14.
The Warriors then forced a three and out and a short punt gave them the ball at their own 47. Five plays later, Massey hit Carmello Austin on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 41 seconds left in the half. Watkins in the PAT and the Warriors led 21-20 at the half.
Nanih Waiya got the ball to start the second half and put together an 11-play, 69-yard drive as Sanders scored on a 1-yard run with 7:25 left in the third. The PAT by Watkins was good and the Warriors led 28-20.
But Lumberton wasn’t done as they went 58 yards in seven plays and scored on a 16-yard touchdown pass. They also converted the two-point conversion to tie the game at 28-28.
The Warriors continued to pound the ball at the Panthers and Massey scored on a 17-yard run with 1:08 left in the third. The PAT failed and the Warriors led 34-28.
The Nanih Waiya defense then forced two straight punts and the Warrior offense put the game away when Massey hit Sameer Hughes on a 35-yard touchdown pass with 4:15 left in the game. Sanders ran in the two-point conversion and the Warriors led 42-28 for the final margin.
The Warriors had 401 yards of total offense. Sanders had 157 yards on 23 carries while Massey had 91 yards on 15 carries. Massey was also 6-of-10 passing for 153 yards with three TDs. Sanjiya Hickman also had two catches for 50 yards and four other receivers had at least one catch.
The Warriors limited Lumberton to 88 yards passing and 193 yards passing for 281 yards of total offense.
Sameer Hughes and Casey Dewberry each had 11 tackles while Beau Simpson and Henley each had 10 tackles. Parker Moffett had nine tackles while Kurtis Austin and Carmelo Austin had eight tackles apiece. Sanders, Sanjia Austin, Sanjia Hickman and Kamryn Crosby each had four tackles apiece while Caleb Tucker had three tackles. Massey also had an interception for the Warriors.
This week’s game
The Warriors will be at home again this week as they host Hollandale Simmons on Friday in third-round action.
Simmons is 10-0 on the season. They beat Noxapater 28-8 in first-round action and Stringer 30-14 last week.
“Simmons is Simmons,” Courtney said. “They are really good this year, they were really good last year, and they will continue to be really good for as long as their administration wants them to be because they will always have great players and coaches. Their sucess offensively starts with their two running backs. They are great players and have the potential to make huge plays. Their quarterback is one of the few returning starters and he can run and throw it. They have a good offensive line headlined by 52 who is a younger kid but already garnering D1 looks. They don’t have a weakness.
“Defensively, they base out of odd and fly to the ball 52 also plays defense and can wreck the game. Their linebackers and defensive backs are good football players and fly to the ball. It will be a challenge to move the ball and we have to fight for good field position and finish drives in their territory. It should be a war! That’s what this time of year is about and we just thank God we are in the position we are in and look forward to competing Friday night at home in front of a huge crowd.”
