Lamar’s William Lamar fights off a tackle during the Raiders’ home game against Simpson Academy Friday.

In Friday’s game against Simpson Academy, Lamar’s best plan of attack was to pass the football.

The Raiders did that effectively in the 38-30 win, as quarterback Joseph Hutchinson finished 16 of 24 for 199 yards and two touchdowns. What may have been a little surprise was how much success the Raiders had on the ground.

Lamar’s Daulton Nelson finished with 65 yards on 16 carries, while Hutchinson had 29 yards on eight attempts. Jake Ransier rushed twice for 10 yards, and William Lamar had four rushes for 22 yards. Two of Lamar’s first three touchdowns were on runs by Ransier and Hutchinson, and Lamar handed the ball off a good bit in the second half, and head coach Mac Barnes said that wasn’t just because he wanted to milk the clock.

“They just jumped up and moved a bunch of people out there to try to take our passing game away, and I really felt if they came in and played us really soft that I wouldn’t last very long,” Barnes explained. “They came out and shut it down a little bit. We still had some big plays on it, but we still had two or three plays that we miscommunicated, where the receivers thought it was a run when it was a pass, and we have to correct that.”

Hutchinson said the balanced approach was more about taking what Simpson Academy was giving the offense with its defensive looks.

“They were in a 3-2, which is very different than what we’ve normally seen, and we were able to run it more, but whenever we caught them off their toes, we were able to get some passes, too,” Hutchinson said. 

He also credited his team’s defense for limiting Simpson Academy to just one offensive touchdown in the second half.

“That was huge,” Hutchinson said. “That was the deciding factor in the game, for sure.”

The win earned Lamar a bye week in the first round of the MAIS Class AAAA, Division II playoffs, which begin next week. Brooks Brock, who had a game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter for Lamar, said he and some of his teammates are banged up, so an extra week of rest is a big boost for the team.

“It means a lot,” Brock said. “I actually played (Friday night) with a subluxed shoulder and sprained ankle, so to get to know I’m going to get to heal that a little more going into the playoffs is big for us.”

Lamar (8-2) closes out the regular season next week at Hartfield Academy.

CLARKDALE 

The Bulldogs got their second win of the season despite trailing 14-7 at the half as Clarkdale scored 21 points in the final two quarters to St. Patrick’s none to secure the 28-14 victory.

Tyler McKee was 4 of 9 in passing for 100 yards for the Bulldogs, while Kodee Conner went 2-for-2 for 38 yards through the air and had eight rushes for 58 yards. McKee finished with 15 carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns, and Landon Conklin rushed 15 times for 81 yards and a score.

Conner also led the Bulldogs in receiving with two catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, giving him 136 all-purpose yards on the night.

Lathan Davis had five total tackles for Clarkdale, while Conner Alsobrooks finished with seven total tackles. Heath Roberts led the team defensively with eight total tackles.

Clarkdale (2-8, 0-3) closes out the regular season this week with a trip to Taylorsville Friday. 

SOUTHEAST LAUDERDALE VS. KEMPER COUNTY

The Tigers got back in the win column Friday night with a 27-14 victory against the Wildcats.

Malik Miller had 17 carries for 152 yards for Southeast Lauderdale, while Travis Ruttley finished 9 of 12 in passing for 130 yards and two touchdowns. AJ Bush tallied four solo tackles, four assists and one sack for Southeast Lauderdale.

Kemper County’s Deonte Rush went 11-for-16 for 126 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Christian Rush led the Wildcats in rushing with 12 carries for 84 yards and one touchdown, and he also caught two passes for 10 yards. Jalan Houston had five receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Kemper County’s Macunte Turner finished with six tackles.

Southeast Lauderdale (2-8, 1-3) hosts Choctaw Central to close out the regular season, while Kemper County (1-9, 1-3) will play at Forest Friday.

NEWTON VS. UNION

The Yellowjackets improved to 3-2 in Region 4-2A play with a 34-27 victory against Newton Friday.

Union’s Colby Ferguson went 8 of 12 in passing for 96 yards and two touchdowns, while Kenyon Clay led in rushing with 91 yards on 14 carries. Ferguson had 70 yards on 15 rushes, and Jaylon Buckley finished with 13 carries for 55 yards.

Jaheim Gill caught three passes for 59 yards for Union, and Clay had four catches for 29 yards. Defensively, Peyton Posey had five solo tackles for the Yellowjackets, while Markus Jones had four solo tackles and two sacks.

For Newton, Lawrence Morris completed 13 of 31 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns, and Tyreke Snow rushed four times for 34 yards and a score. Morris also had a touchdown run, though he finished with minus-7 yards on eight rushes.

Andre Ware caught five passes for 106 yards and a score for the Tigers, and Jaleel Bolton had an interception for Newton.

Newton (1-8, 0-3) will host Lake Friday, while Union (6-4, 3-2) hosts Enterprise.