After 15 days of no football activity, the Woodlawn Panthers were looking at taking on Carroll High who were trying to get their season back on track. Amid a good turn out of fans and alumni at Woodlawn High School, the Panthers were not able to pull off the come from behind victory and the Carroll Bulldogs triumphed 33-24.
The Bulldogs have an attacking spread offense that looks to get their athletes in space and take what the defense gives them. They also have a fast attacking defense that rallies to the ball. Senior quarterback Antonio Hollins threw a 33 yard touchdown to Derrick Conner after recovering a fumble by Woodlawn in the first quarter. Hollins kept the Woodlawn defense off balance with steady RPOs throughout the game. However, it was sophomore running back Amareya Greeley with two late touchdowns of 40 and 50 yards that put the game out of reach late in the 4th quarter. On the defensive side, the Bulldogs used their aggressive linebackers, lead by Derrick Conner, to contain the Woodlawn’s running game. Conner forced a fumble that Zackeil Arrington scooped and scored from 17 yards. The Bulldog defense would get 4 takeaways at the end of the night to seal the victory.
The Panthers came out crisp on the first drive of their season as sophomore quarterback Rickie Collins hit Jaylon Henry across the middle for a 35 yard touchdown. Late in the game Collins led the come back in the 4th quarter, throwing 3 more touchdowns. First, Collins hit Lanard Harris deep for 55 yards while up the seam, Kyle Jones during a one play drive for 60 yards, and Amani Givens on a 36 halfback screen. The Woodlawn defensive line harassed Hollins and disrupted the running attack of Carroll for most of the game. Mark Fielder, Eddie Powell, and Devin Boyd all recorded a tackle for loss.
The Panthers seem to have shaken off the rust of the 15-day hiatus and are looking forward to opening district play against Dutchtown. As for Carroll, the season is back on track as they look forward to playing Wossman next.
Make sure to see our after game interviews with quarterback Rickie Collins and head coach Marcus Randell.
