Panthers rebound after first week loss

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 18, 2019

DELCAMBRE — After an opening week loss to Westminster Christian, the Delcambre Panthers got a shot in the arm with the return of fullback Tirney Dejean, who had been sidelined since suffering a concussion in the preseason scrimmage vs. Lake Arthur.

In the Panthers’ 26-6 defeat of Gueydan Friday, Dejean gained 67 yards on 11 carries and helped loosen up the outside for wingback Parker Nunez, who went for 229 yards on 17 rushes and three touchdowns.

“It was big getting Tirney back,” Delcambre head coach Artie Liuzza said.  “He gives us another weapon at fullback.  He didn’t have a ton of touches Friday, but he did get a lot of positive yardage when he got the ball.”

Nunez has 366 yards rushing on the year on 32 carries, an average of 11.4 yards per attempt.  If the senior continues at this pace, he could double last year’s output (750 yards, eight TD).

“Parker opened up the game against Gueydan with a 70-yarder and had another long one,” 

Liuzza said.  “He has pretty good speed and we did a good job upfront.

“It was huge to get a win.  Anytime you get that first win, the team gets more confidence.  It’s a big deal.”

This week, the Panthers travel to Centerville (2-0) for the final pre-district tune-up.  Centerville won last year’s matchup 22-16.

“Coach (Mark) Millet has done a great job at Centerville since he got there,” Liuzza said.  “Like us, they’re a Wing T team.  They play a 5-2 or ‘50 front’ on defense.  On offense, they execute and have good athletes with good speed.

“Centerville has a lot of speed.  I like their version of the Wing T.  They use a lot of misdirection and they’re disciplined on defense.  Their front seven on defense fly to the ball.”

The Bulldogs are averaging more than 42 points per game.

“It’s going to be a tough test,” Liuzza said.  “We’re going to have to get off the field defensively on third down, and our offense will need to have success on third down.  In Week 1, we didn’t convert a third down.

“We also have to eliminate mistakes.  That will be the tale of the tape.  We didn’t have any turnovers in Week 2.  In Week 1, we turned the ball over on a bad handoff exchange and an interception, and we also fumbled a couple of snaps that killed drives.”

Liuzza said junior end Hayden Frederick, sophomore linebacker Cullen Bouton, and senior cornerback Ian Evans have been mainstays on defense, along with Dejean.