Lasco, Schneider provided timely touchdowns
to stay ahead of the Panthers
Shenandoah – With 11:52 to go in the game things got pretty scary for the Highlanders. Deauntre Smiley had just broke free from a couple of would be tacklers en-route to a 20 yard scamper that pulled the Panthers within two points, 35-33.
After a frustrating home loss last season, the Panthers had revenge on their mind.
Joseph Schneider was 10 of 17 with 177 yards, a touchdown and added two more touchdowns on the ground while rushing for 67 yards to give the Woodlands Highlanders their second consecutive victory 49-33 over the Lufkin Panthers within the last seven years, Friday night at Woodforest Bank Stadium.
“We just got put in a lot of good situations where I got to throw the ball, there was nobody there. We expected it to be a close game. After the first half we knew they would comeback so we decided to prepare and go score some more points,” said Joseph Schneider, The Woodlands Quarterback.
The woodlands (6-0, 2-0) ranked No. 6 in the sate jumped out to 21-0 lead before taking a 28-7 halftime lead. The Highlanders caught fire on their second drive of the game after running back Daniel Lasco found a crease in the middle of the Panthers defense for a 5 yard touchdown run and Jackson La Plant grabbed a 17 yard TD pass from Schneider to take a commanding 14-0 lead.
“I guess from a spectators stand point it was a great game. From a coaches’ stand point I’m really proud of the way that we responded especially in the second half. In the first half everything seemed to go our way, the second half started out rocky for us, Lufkin takes the first possession and scores. We didn’t do anything with ours. They take the next possession and go score and on the ensuing kickoff there is a safety which I thought was questionable but I’m not sure. So they put 16 points on the board in a span of about 2 ½ minutes and all of a sudden it becomes a game but offensively we responded with a score and we settled back down and it became our game again,” said Woodlands Coach Mark Schmid.
It was Lasco’s first game back since suffering an ankle injury in week zero of the season, who led all rushers with 161 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns.
Pedro DelaGarza, Garrett Hope and Mitchell Meyers came up with big times sacks to keep Lufkin scoreless until 3:54 to go in the second quarter where they scored when Nick Scott took a 4 yard option pitch from Smiley to the end zone, trimming the lead 21-7.
The Woodlands defense sacked Smiley 8 times.
In the second half Smiley led a red hot Panther offense that scored touchdowns on their first three drives of the third quarter to close within two points, 28-26. With the offense clicking Lufkin (5-1, 2-1) the No. 7 ranked team in the state, took their first drive of the third quarter 80 yards in 6 plays cutting the Highlanders lead in half 28-14 capped by a two yard Smiley keeper and Smiley added another 0ne yard keeper closing the gap to 7, 28-21 with 6:37 to go in the third quarter.
Things started going south for the Woodlands, rendering a (controversial) safety to the Panthers when LaPlant touched the ball as it rolled through the back of the end zone trimming the lead 28-23 and a special team break down allowing no. 83 to return the kickoff 37 yards to the 37 yard line of the Highlanders which led to a 32 yard Luis Garcia field goal to reduce the score 28-26.
The Woodlands responded with a 65 yard drive that watched Schneider finish a 10 yard run pushing the score 35-26.
The Panthers (5-1,2-1)last shot came on Smiley’s 20 yard touchdown run to get within 2 points, 35-33. They had another opportunity when they drove down into Highlanders territory but a fumble on 4th down was recovered by no. 93 killing any chances of a comeback.
“We got beat by an offer good football team. They dominated the first half and we didn’t do much right. You got to give credit where it’s due. They did all things right. I think our kids did a good job at halftime of not panicking coming back out and trying make a football game and just couldn’t make enough plays to get ourselves over the hump but you got to give credit to them they made the plays in the 4th quarter when they needed to. Looks like we were getting ready to take it over and then they made a couple of plays and of course Lasco stuck the dagger in us,” said Lufkin’s Coach John Outlaw.
The Woodlands put the game on ice with Lasco’s 39 yard touchdown run with 1:56 to go.
