LELAND — The opening round game against the Palmer Dragons was supposed to be an easy victory for the Leland Cubs.
Instead Palmer (6-4) fought till the end, but still came up short in a 18-14 defeat at the hands of Leland (9-3) in an opening round Class 3A playoff game.
Leland will be on the road this Friday against Aberdeen, who defeated Kossuth 50-8 in their first round matchup.
Leland coach Eugene Sanders said everyone else may have thought Palmer was a push over, but he knew the Cubs were in a battle.
“I know about 15 years ago (Palmer coach Aaron Holden) had the program on the rise until he got sick. But now he’s back,” said Sanders. “And we knew if we ran into them later on in the year they were going to be tough.”
And Palmer wasted no time flexing their muscles Friday night, as they scored on a Lakendrick Conley 67-yard interception return for a touchdown on the fourth play of the game. A Terrell Emerson 2-point conversion run gave the Dragons an early 8-0 lead.
Leland didn't strike back until midway through the second quarter when Davantae Overton capped off a 95-yard drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak. Leland failed the 2-point attempt and found themselves down 8-6.
But the Cubs would take the lead on their next drive after Jamaros Barnes scored on a 15-yard scamper. Leland then held a 12-8 lead with three minutes remaining in the first half.
With both team’s defenses playing stout, it would be late in the third before either team would score again. Palmer took a 14-12 lead with over minutes left in the third quarter when Conley rammed in a touchdown on fourth on goal.
A 8-yard touchdown pass from Overton to Nicholas Mosby in the fourth quarter was the final touchdown of the game — and it was all the Cubs needed to move on to the next round.
Palmer used a three-back backfield and rushed the ball nearly every play.
“We knew they would do that coming into the game,” said Sanders. “Their offense was their defense.”
Now Leland has to travel to face one of toughest teams in Class 3A - Aberdeen. The Bulldogs (11-1)has scored over 40 points in seven of 12 games.
Simmons
SHELBY — The Simmons High Blue Devils held on for a 28-26 victory Friday night over Broad Street in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs.
Simmons (8-4) will host Calhoun City (12-0) Friday night at 7 p.m. Calhoun City defeated Hamilton 40-3 Friday in their round round matchup.
Riverside
CHARLESTON — The Charleston High Tigers rushed for 362 yards Friday night as they defeated Riverside in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs.
Riverside ends their season with a 4-8 record. Charleston will now travel to Winona for a second round showdown.
Greenville Christian
GREENVILLE — The Greenville Christian Saints saw their season come a close Friday night after falling victim to Tunica Academy 48-7.
GCS (6-5-1) ended their season by winning five more games than last year. Tunica will be on the road at Winona Christian this Friday night.
O’Bannon
CLARKSDALE — The O'Bannon Greenwaves lost to Coahoma County Thursday in their first round game.
O'Bannon's (4-8) lone touchdown came from a 33-yard Maurice Homes touchdown run. Coahoma County will host Baldwyn this Friday night.
Greenville-Weston
GREENVILLE — The playoffs have escaped Greenville-Weston for the ninth straight year.
GWHS (4-7) closed out their season Friday night after falling 29-19 to heavyweight Madison Central (10-1). The loss marked Hornets' fifth straight.
Donald Jackson led GWHS's rushing attack with 86 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He finished with 1,234 yards and eight touchdowns on the season.
Donnel Corbin had a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown - his second of the year.
Terrell Williams had two catches for 63 yards. Williams also finished the season with a team-high 93 tackles.
Jaleel Bolden had two sacks Friday night. Kendrell Canada had 11 tackles while Chucky Moore picked up nine tackles.
St. Joe
The St. Joseph Fighting Irish capped off their regular season with a 37-26 victory over McAdams, but the Irish were still unable to capture a playoff birth.
St. Joe (3-8) had an explosive output from their offense, as the Fighting Irish put up 21 first half points before adding 16 more in the second half.
J'Daylan Jackson had his night of the season, finishing with three touchdowns on runs of 17, 5, and 5.
Matt Menchaca had two touchdowns — one on a 7-yard run and another on a 20-yard pass from Jacob Reifers.
Evan Russell hit a 32-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
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