Choctaws dominant in opening round win over Lakeland Prep

 




Jason Peevyhouse

Editor, JP Productions Sports

Dyer County scored on all but one of its drives in the first half which set the tone for the Choctaws to advance in the TSSAA Class 4A Playoffs with an opening round win over Lakeland Prep on Friday night in Newbern.


“We played as a team,” Dyer County Head Coach Justin Dubruiel said of the win over the Lions – his first as a high school head coach. “It’s like I said (last night) at the playoff dinner – playing fast, playing physical, and playing for our family.

“Taking care of each other, building each other up. And just encouraging other.”

Dyer County got on the board almost right off the bat. Despite penalties pushing the Choctaws back on the opening drive, the five-play drive was capped with a 34-yard touchdown run by Ke’Anthony Barbee. Jotham Powell added the extra point to put the Choctaws on top 7-0 with 10:04 left in the opening quarter.

Both teams swapped punts marking the only time in the first half the Choctaws didn’t score on a full possession.

Following the Lion punt with two minutes left in the frame, Dyer County wasted little time getting on the board. Barbee broke free for a 74-yard touchdown run with 1:44 left in the first. The extra point extended the Choctaws’ lead to 14-0.


Lakeland Prep answered just as quickly after a long kickoff return was ended by a touchdown-saving tackle by Choctaw kicker Powell. It took only one play for Lion quarterback Brett Godwin to find an open Conner Jones for a 21-yard touchdown pass. The extra point failed by the Lions had still cut Dyer County’s lead to 14-6 with 1:22 left in the opening quarter.

Dyer County was able to answer right back following the first touchdown by Lakeland Prep. It took the Choctaws seven plays to find the end zone. With Barbee as the workhorse, the orange and white got on the board again with a 19-yard run by Barbee for the score. The extra point put the Choctaws on top 21-6 with ten minutes left in the half.

The Choctaw defense got into the scoring column as Teyshawn Bowens snagged an errant Lion pass and returned it 51 yards for the score. The extra point increased the Dyer County lead to 28-6 with 8:50 left in the second quarter.

Though they did not score on this instance, the Choctaw special teams did come up with a big play as the Dyer County coverage team forced a fumble and recovered it near midfield.

On the ensuing Choctaw drive, Dyer County quarterback Landon Daniles hit Antonio Franklin for a 12-yard touchdown pass. The extra point pushed Dyer County’s lead to 35-6 with 6:26 left in the half.


Dyer County was able to get the ball back on the third play of the ensuing Lion drive as Ty Johnson snagged an interception at the back of the end zone to stop the Lakeland Prep progress and get a touchback.

Dyer County capitalized on the Lion turnover as Daniels found an open Grant West on the Choctaw sideline and the receiver raced 54 yards for the touchdown. The extra point put Dyer County on top 42-6 with 3:28 left in the half.

The Choctaw defense continued to keep the Lions in check, forcing a three-and-out.

Dyer County rewarded its defense with another score as Barbee scored his fourth and final touchdown of the night on a 28-yard run. The extra point put the Choctaws on top 49-6 as the defense ended the ensuing Lion drive with another Bowen interception to take the game to halftime.

With the clock running through the third and fourth quarters, Dyer County tacked on a 36-yard Powell field goal with 7:15 left in the game to put the Choctaws up 52-6. The Lions answered with a late touchdown and two-point conversion to round out the scoring as Dyer County sealed the win to advance to the second round.

“Anytime you can respond and keep going, it’s good for our offense. We got a defensive score in there, too. So, when you can score on defense, it’s even better.”

Barbee lit up the stat sheet as well, carrying the ball 28 times for 243 yards and four touchdowns. Daniels was 7-of-10 through the air with 93 yards and two touchdowns.

Dyer County will hit the road in the second round as the Choctaws will travel to Marshall County, who defeated Liberty Creek in the opening round, 48-21.

“We’re going to take a look at them on film and see what they’ve got,” the Choctaw head coach said. “Historically, they’ve been pretty good here recently.

“We’ll see this weekend and hopefully have a gameplan together.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14 at Marshall County High School in Lewisburg.

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