By Jamie Wachter/executive sports editor
Despite the blowout win in Lamar School’s home opener Friday at Grey Cobb Field, it wasn’t a good night for Raiders coach Mac Barnes.
While the Raiders routed Starkville Academy 43-7, they also lost juniors Drew Mueller and Will Dungan to season-ending knee injuries in the first half.
“We lost two players for the year,” Barnes said after Mueller sustained his right knee injury on the opening kickoff and Dungan, who led the Raiders in tackles in the season opener, went down with a right knee injury midway through the second quarter. “We’ve got 28 guys and we lose two starters and we’ve already lost one, so that taints the good tonight.
“As far as the team effort, and as far as the way our guys played, yeah, I was real pleased with the way we played.”
On the field, there wasn’t much to dislike about Lamar’s execution through three quarters. While the first team offense played, the Raiders scored six touchdowns on six possessions. Lamar’s top defensive unit also shined, allowing just 83 yards to the Vols after East Rankin Academy posted 325 yards in last week’s opener.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize how good of a team we played last week in East Rankin,” Barnes added. “I think everybody thinks that’s the old East Rankin, the next thing you know they’re better than people think.
“I think we did a lot of good things and were much more efficient. And I think the defense played well.”
That efficiency began early. On Lamar’s first possession, senior quarterback Witt Haggard marched the Raiders 80 yards in 10 plays, ending the drive with a four-yard scoring run. Haggard completed three passes on the drive for 28 yards and picked up another 26 on the ground.
After William Fulton blocked a Volunteer punt on the ensuing possession, Lamar took over at the Starkville 32 and scored six plays later when Haggard dashed in from five yards out.
As good as they were early, it was late in the Raiders’ third scoring drive when Lamar really started to click. On the last 10 plays of the first half, Lamar gained 210 yards, seven first downs and three touchdowns.
That streak began after a penalty pushed Lamar back to the Vol 37, Haggard found John Clinton McElroy for 16 yards on a second-and-10. Haggard then hit Jamie Thompson for 15 yards before McElroy scored on a five-yard run.
On the next Lamar drive, the Raiders mustered five straight first downs — a 15-yard run from Bo Bidgood, a 13-yard completion to Bidgood, a 14-yard completion to McElroy, a 15-yard dash from Michael Marcello, who led the Raiders with 42 yards on seven carries, and a 13-yard completion to Bidgood — before Haggard found Charlie Nosco open in the front of the end zone.
Getting the ball back with 1:06 remaining in the half, Haggard hit Bidgood near midfield and the senior receiver outraced the Volunteers to the end zone for a 93-yard scoring strike that gave Lamar a 35-0 halftime lead.
After the intermission, Lamar’s offense picked right back up, covering 74 yards on eight plays. Haggard, who completed 17 of 22 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns, found receivers on all three of his third-quarter attempts, hitting Marcello for 15 and then 25 yards, while also connecting with Bidgood on a 10-yard strike. Bidgood, who hauled in six passes for 148 yards, finished off the drive with an 11-yard scoring run. Haggard added a two-point conversion run to push the lead to 43-0.
The Volunteers responded with their lone scoring drive of the night, helped out by a pass interference call against Lamar on a third-and-3 that kept the drive alive. After the penalty Kyle Henson hauled in a pair of passes for 18 yards and quarterback Will Goodwin added two scrambles for 22 yards to set up a Henson scoring run from the Lamar 2. Goodwin ledthe Vols with 48 yards on six carries, while completing 9 of 18 passes for 53 yards. Henson caught seven for 36 yards.
