South Pike is in for a long bus trip Friday afternoon as the Eagles head north to Scott County to take on the Morton Panthers in the first round of the state playoffs. Game time is 7 p.m.
South Pike (5-4, 4-2) finished the season on a high note last week shutting out county rival North Pike 24-0. The win put the Eagles in third place in Region 7, behind Tylertown and Franklin County.
Morton (5-5, 5-1) enters the playoffs on the heels of a 42-12 loss to Newton County last week, the team’s only district loss of the season. Two weeks ago, the Panthers dominated Heidelberg, earning a 31-12 victory.
The Panthers finished the regular season in second place in Region 5 behind Newton County.
South Pike plans to carry its winning momentum into Friday night’s game.
“The win last week helped us a bunch,” South Pike coach Randall Huffman said. “The previous two weeks were losses and there was a lot of negativity around us. Winning last week gave us some positive feelings. We’ve got to carry that forward. It helped put us in the right frame of mind.”
The Eagles have bowed out of the state playoffs in the first round the past two years and hope to go deeper this year. Morton’s defense is expected to test South Pike’s multiple offense.
Morton was knocked out in the second round of the playoffs last year at the hands of Franklin County. After fighting their way back, the Panthers don’t want to go home early again this year.
“We’ve seen some film,” Huffman said. “They’re probably going to run the Power I. They can do that because they’re big up front.”
South Pike’s defense has been steady all year and will need to take it to the next level against Morton’s mix of rushing and passing the ball.
The Panthers have weapons all over the field and are not afraid to deploy them at any time.
The team is led by Percy Lewis, who has spent time at quarterback and at running back. When Lewis takes the snaps, running back Alex Duckworth handles most of the rushing duties. Duckworth has rushed for more than 800 yards this season.
If the Panther run stalls, Morton can go to the air — as the team has done frequently in 2008. The team’s two top receivers have combined for 18 receptions and more than 400 yards.
The Eagles were burned on big pass plays late in the season and will have to guard against the deep pass while closing the running lanes.
“They’re going to bring it to you no matter what they run,” Huffman said.
Defensively, the Panthers have two solid defensive ends that patrol the corners. Grant Johnson and Emilio Warnsley have made it a priority to stop the run.
For South Pike to move the ball effectively, the Eagles will have to figure out a way to neutralize the two ends, Huffman said.
“They’ve got two big defensive ends,” he said. “We’re running the spread so we’ll have to wait and see how they deal with it. I’m sure they’ll make some adjustments and then we’ll go from there.”
The winner of the game will play the winner of the Columbia-Crystal Springs game.
