Lamar tops Hillcrest in playoff tuneup

By By Ryan Satcher / staff writer
Nov. 6, 2004
JACKSON The Lamar Raiders picked up momentum for next week's postseason matchup with Magnolia Heights with a 14-7 victory over Hillcrest Christian School on Friday night.
The Raiders forced the homestanding Cougars to turn the ball over on downs twice in the second half and held on for a hard-fought win.
The Cougars tried to line up and run behind a huge offensive line and fullback but the Raiders came up with stops when they needed it the most.
Both teams were able to move the ball early in the game but were unable to put points on the board.
Lamar drove down the field on its opening possession and moved to the Hillcrest 10-yard line before missing a field goal attempt.
Hillcrest drove to the Lamar four yard line before the Raiders forced the Cougars into a missed field goal of their own.
Lamar put points on the board in a hurry after the missed Hillcrest field goal. Scott Owen hit Brannon Harrison on the left sideline for an 80-yard touchdown pass with 1:28 left in the first quarter. The PAT was blocked, however, to keep the score at 6-0.
Hillcrest answered with a long drive which took about five minutes off the clock. The Cougars drove 67 yards and scored on a four-yard run by Cory Moncrief to take a 7-6 lead.
After an interception, Hillcrest drove the ball down the field once again and threatened to take control of the contest.
The Cougars drove to the Lamar 15-yard line before the Raiders forced a turnover on downs.
The Raiders took the ball over on downs and drove 80 yards in the final three minutes of the half to regain the lead.
Owen carried the ball down to the Cougar 10-yard line on a 16-yard run and Parker Payne scored from 10 yards out to give Lamar a 12-6 lead.
On the two-point conversion, Owen broke a tackle and passed to Dustin Gray to make the score 14-7 at halftime.
Hillcrest opened the second half with another long, time-consuming drive. The Cougars drove to the Lamar 36-yard line before the Raiders stuffed a reverse on fourth down to take back possession.
The Cougars took over again at the start of the fourth quarter and again threatened to tie the game.
Ken Chatman, who finished with 139 yards, carried the ball 11 times in the possession as the Cougars drove to the Lamar 14-yard line.
Hillcrest used up about eight minutes off the clock in the drive but came up short as the Raiders stopped the Cougars on a fourth-down run.
Lamar took over on its own 14 and was able to run out the rest of the time to pick up the victory.
For the Raiders, Owen finished with 174 yards passing and Harrison had 116 receiving yards.
Lamar, now 7-4, will hit the road next week to take on Magnolia Heights in MPSA Class AAA Division II first-round playoff action.