Sterlington overcame some early miscues and a halftime deficit to dominate down the stretch Friday en route to the program’s first-ever repeat as state champions.
The No. 2 Panthers (12-2) rattled off 27 unanswered points to upend No. 1 Jena (12-2) for the 34-20 victory, punctuated by back-to-back pick-sixes by junior athlete Devyn Downs and senior linebacker Tomarion “Tre” Burch.
Junior running back T.J. Burch ran for a goal-line touchdown in the first half, then the 37-yard go-ahead score early in the third quarter.
And the Panthers cashed in a third-quarter fumble forced by junior Cameron Bagwell and recovered by sophomore Steven English for a 21-yard run by junior back Xavier Miles-Stromile to begin opening up the lead.
Jena was able to take a 12-7 lead into the halftime break with back-to-back scoring drives that ended with a 10-yard run by Sedrick Wilson and a 74-yard bomb from Duece McPhearson to Zadrien Cooper. Cooper would finish the contest with 125 yards on 4 receptions.
“We went ahead and double covered [Cooper}, all night long, the rest of the game, tried to take him out of the game. He’s a very good player, by the way.” Doty spoke on the halftime adjustments.
The adjustments worked, forcing three valuable turnovers that all ended up in scores.
The significance and impact of reaching the championship game for the first time in school history were not lost on Jena coach, Jay Roark.
“Several years ago, nobody ever thought this would be possible. It’s been a lot of hard work put in by a lot of good kids and a lot of good coaches that got this thing started,” Roark said. “I’ve been blessed with amazing support from our administration and community. I’m extremely proud of where this program has come, and hopefully this senior class kind of set the tone for what’s possible and what we can do if we continue to work hard.”
