By Myra Bean

The South Panola school and football team had eight hours to get together a home game Friday night.

The first district game with Horn Lake was originally set to be played in Horn Lake, but once again the weather played havoc with plans.

When the Horn Lake ball boy who doubles as the field mower went to Horn Lake field Friday morning to mow and stripe, he stranded both the riding and push mowers in the process. He also got stuck and managed to scrape his knee while trying to get the push mower out.

Both teams and fans scrambled Friday to change plans and get to the football game. Only about 2,500 fans showed up for the game and the visitors were not able to have a concession stand. However, the ballgame came off without a hitch on a beautiful night in which the rains held off.

South Panola (4-1 overall, 1-0 district) had very little problem with the Eagles, winning 53-13.

The Tigers had 381 total yards of offense and limited the Eagles to 154 total yards. The Tigers had 301 yards on the ground.

Kendrick Market was the leading rusher with 95 yards on six carries and one touchdown. Nicholas Parker had 88 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown. Domonique Carothers rushed for 57 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown. Lee Self had two rushes for eight yards and a touchdown. Marcus Dixon had one yard on one carry and one touchdown.

Self completed three of five passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. Nicklos Brassell had three receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown.

The Tigers only punted one time on the evening while Horn Lake had four punts.

Horn Lake took the opening kickoff and punted it away. The Tigers got the ball on their own 49 yard line marched 51 yards in six plays for a one-yard touchdown by Parker with 8:08 left in the first quarter.

The Tigers took their second possession and scored on a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brassell from Self.

The first PAT and the two-point conversion failed so the Tigers had a 12-0 lead with 2:58 left in the first quarter.

Horn Lake got on the boards on a 56-yard touchdown pass with 48 seconds left in the quarter. The PAT was good to cut the Tiger lead 12-7.

The Tigers scored three times in the second quarter.  Nolan Parker kicked a 27-yard field goal with 6:59 left in the half. Al Hentz intercepted a pass and returned it for a 43-yard touchdown with 5:49 left in the half.

With 3:03 left in the half, Market broke for a 63-yard touchdown run. With the two PATs by Nolan Parker, the Tigers led 29-7 at halftime.

The Tiger defense had some shining moments in the first half. Qyendairs Griffin had a tackle for an eight-yard loss. Isaac Gross had a tackle for a two-yard loss. Devin Clark recorded two tackles in the first quarter.

Gross and Temario Strong combined for a quarterback sack in the second quarter. Strong also had a solo sack. Dennis Draper recorded two tackles in the second quarter, one for a four-yard loss. Antonio Conner also had a tackle for a four-yard loss.

The third quarter was almost a duplicate of the second one for the Tigers with a field goal by Nolan Parker and two touchdown runs.

A Parker kick came at the 8:52 mark from 37 yards out for a 32-7 lead.

With 3:01 left in the quarter, Self scored on a seven-yard run. Carothers scored on a 10-yard run with 52 seconds left in the quarter. With the PATs, the Tigers led 46-7 going into the fourth quarter as the defense held Horn Lake scoreless in the third.

Horn Lake put up another score with 10:32 left in the game on a two-yard run. The extra point kick failed.

Horn Lake turned the ball over on downs with 3:16 left in the game

With 3:01 left in the game, Marcus Dixon scored on a one-yard run. With Nolan Parker’s PAT, the Tigers scored the final points for the 53-13 win.

Horn Lake fumbled away its first three possessions of the third quarter. Recovering the fumbles were No. 8, Strong and Gross.

A big week is ahead for the Tigers as they prepare to host Olive Branch in a televised game Friday night which highlights the greatest rivalries in Mississippi history, Y’all vs. Us. The game will be televised Friday on local NBC Channel 5 with a 7:20 p.m. kickoff.