After dropping the season opener at 5A West Jones last week in his head coaching debut, Raleigh head coach Ryan Higdon earned his stripes as a lead man Friday night. Following a pre-game lightening show and downpour that soaked the field and delayed the game for an hour, Hidgon's Lions used a powerful running game and a stifling defense at home to dominate rival Bay Springs, 24-6.
Higdon, who for years coached closely alongside one of the state's most winning head coaches, Lance Mancuso at Bassfield and later Jefferson Davis County when schools in the area were consolidated, was excited for his new team to collect its first win of the season and grab his first as a head coach.
“It feels great. It's always good to get that first win no matter if it's the first win as a head coach or the first one of the season. It's just a 'monkey off the back.'
Now, we can maybe carry a little momentum into next week and kind of get things going. The kids are starting to buy into what we are doing. We needed a little momentum, and we'll keep doing what we are doing right now,” he said following the game.
Higdon is very enthusiastic about his team and a number of the players he inherited. He explained he can sense all his players want to learn and win.
“They [last year] ran something similar on offense, but it's a little different scheme that we have now. But, they have really bought in. From day one, they came out and new what we were going to do. It was no secret, and they are really starting to buy in,” he said. “We feel like our backfield with Margo Perkins, Javarious 'Chocolate' Walker, and Suntarine Perkins is one of the best backfields in the state. And, we were struggling last week at West Jones on the offensive line, and our fullback Darius Windham came to me this week and said, 'coach, I want to play offensive guard to help.' He played his first game at guard this week, played hard, and then turned around and played nose guard on defense. That shows you the character that these guys have; they are unselfish, and they are really starting to get after people.”
The 3A Lions Friday night 'got after' a pretty good 2A Bay Springs squad that shut out 1A top ranked Lumberton 32-0 in its season opener last week.
Raleigh's defense shut Bay Springs down on the opening possession of the game and forced a punt from the goal line. Margo Perkins got loose on a run that landed the Lions inside the red zone at the Bulldogs' one-yard line. Quarterback Jay Jones sneaked through the middle the next play and Raleigh led early 6-0.
Raleigh went on to pile up rushing yards through the first half, held its own defensively when the Bulldogs moved the ball and got into scoring position, and capitalized on Bay Springs penalties and turnovers.
Suntarine Perkins broke through the Bay Springs defense on a 30-yard touchdown gallop late in the first quarter to give the Lions a 12-0 cushion. He later in the second quarter picked up a Bay Springs fumble and raced 31 yards for a touchdown, and polished off a Raleigh touchdown drive set up on a pass completion from Jones to Margo Perkins with a six-yard touchdown run to give the Lions a 24-0 lead at halftime.
Bay Springs running back Chase Wilson scored on a 21-yard run with a minute left in the third quarter to close the gap 24-6. The Bulldogs seemed to not want to go away and still had some life left in the fourth quarter following a Raleigh fumble at its own 40-yard line, but the Lions intercepted an Anthony Newell pass, worked the clock down, and sealed the deal.
Raleigh will host 3A Seminary next Friday night.
Seminary lost to Taylorsville 56-42 in a wild contest Friday where the Bulldogs led the Tartars in the third quarter 34-14.
