Airline goes from 0-3 to district champion with win against crosstown rival Parkway
By Buck Ringgold
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Airline’s season appeared to be down and out after the Vikings dropped their first three games.
The Vikings, though, knew it was just a matter of time before things started to fall into place. Now, they’re streaking in the opposite direction - not to mention claiming a district championship in the process.
Airline reeled off its sixth straight win, leading from start to finish against crosstown rival Parkway, as the Vikings posted a 41-20 win along with clinching the 1-5A title. The game was played Thursday night, one of many games in Louisiana moved from Friday due to the possibility of inclement weather.
“Just the offense overall, we did a good job,” said Airline senior Cameron Jefferson, who scored two touchdowns in the win. “Ben (Taylor, the Vikings’ quarterback) made the passes he needed to make, our defense got the stops they needed to make; they got some huge stops on a really good offense.
“I’m just happy we got the win.”
The Vikings (6-3, 6-0) started out 0-3, though in their last two games during that span, they lost by a combined total of 11 points.
Airline finally got going in Week 4 with a wild 75-59 win against Benton, and the Vikings have won all of their games by double digits.
“Starting out 0-3 did have an effect on our mentality a little bit, but Coach (Justin) Scogin just told us, once things are clicking, and you saw at the Benton game, (we scored) 75 points,” Jefferson said. “Once things got to clicking, we just never stopped rolling.”
Airline’s offense also came through in the second half when Parkway (7-2, 4-2) began applying pressure. The Panthers closed to within seven points twice, including 27-20 with 10:28 left.
But following Parkway’s second seven-point deficit, the Vikings countered with an eight-play 80-yard drive, capped by a 7-yard TD run from junior tailback Tre’ Jackson, giving Airline breathing room, 34-20, with 7:58 left.
Airline’s defense did the rest, keeping the Panthers at bay. On a fourth-and-short in the closing minutes, Viking senior lineman Carter Tate came up to stop Parkway tailback Jaylan White for a loss.
The Vikings then sealed the win with the second of two rushing TDs by Jefferson.
“We missed some things that we are usually able to do,” said Scogin, in his first season as Airline’s coach. “But all in all, when the offense isn’t clicking, the defense is clicking, and when we both click, it’s fantastic.
“I told the defense (earlier Thursday), someday it’s going to be like this and they stepped up and hat’s off to our defensive staff, they were amazing; they put together a plan and I’m blown away by how good (the defense) played (Thursday).”
Airline amassed 443 yards of total offense. Taylor, a sophomore, was 17-of-33 passing for 298 yards, making several key throws all night, while several Viking receivers made brilliant catches.
“I’ve gotta thank my o-line and my skill (guys) and my defense most importantly; they had some great stops whenever we couldn’t execute on offense,” Taylor said. “They helped us win this game.”
Jefferson caught seven passes for 132 yards while adding 23 yards rushing. He had Airline’s first TD on the game’s opening series, as the Vikings took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards in nine plays, with Jefferson scoring on a 12-yard toss play.
Ben Jump tacked on the PAT as the Vikings grabbed a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest.
But Parkway responded on its opening series, going 81 yards in just six plays. White took a misdirection handoff and darted 25 yards for a touchdown.
However, the PAT was blocked, keeping Airline in the lead, 7-6, with 6:53 remaining in the first quarter.
The Vikings then used an array of sterling defensive plays to add to their lead before halftime.
Airline forced two turnovers, turning those into 10 points. The first turnover came late in the first quarter, a tipped pass that was intercepted by senior lineman Jailan Evans.
The Vikings cashed in four plays later, going up 14-6 on a 4-yard run from senior tailback Tre’ Jackson, followed by Jump’s PAT.
“It was big, it was electric,” Evans said. “We set our offense up in good position, and then we went in and scored. It was amazing.
“We played our part. The offense came out slow in the second half, but we picked up their slack and they started catching fire.”
Jump then added a pair of second-quarter field goals. He hit a 26-yarder with 7:39 left in the first half, which was set up when Airline’s defense stuffed a running play on fourth-and-short near the Parkway 45.
Then with less than two minutes to go in the half, Airline forced a fumble near its 25, with linebacker Champ Endris making the recovery.
The Vikings quickly moved downfield, aided by a 39-yard pass from Taylor to Jefferson down to the Parkway 3 on fourth down.
But Airline was unable to get it in the end zone, and Jump came on to convert a 25-yard field goal, extending the Vikings’ lead to 20-6 with one second remaining until the break.
Jackson finished with 119 yards on 15 carries, and junior receiver Bob Patterson caught four passes for 89 yards. Taylor gave Airline a 27-13 lead with 10:50 left on a 1-yard sneak.
The Panthers came right back two plays later, as White scored from 53 yards out. White ended up with 225 yards on 21 carries, as Parkway had 342 of its 378 total yards on the ground.
But Parkway got no closer, and the Vikings, after starting out 0-3, can now call themselves district champs.
“Nobody else saw it but us because we know what we have,” Evans said. “Nobody else but us.”
