The Mycenaean

On Thursday night, October 5, the Leesville junior varsity football team took on the Millbrook Wildcats at Hamilton Stadium. Although the Pride made a strong attempt to hold the Wildcats off, Millbrook was able to dominate and beat Leesville 20 – 0.

Going into the game, the Pride had a strong and positive mindset. They prepared all week to take on the Wildcats, a team that has been on a winning streak with three consecutive wins.

“[Playing Millbrook] definitely means we have higher expectations and…for us to play better and it’s going to take some adjustment, but we’ll be able to win,” said Zayne Naseer, Leesville sophomore punter, kicker, and defensive end, prior to the game.

To start the game, Leesville received the ball first in search of a first down, but the Pride was not able to execute. The offense did not convert the third down and punted the ball away on the fourth.

Millbrook approached the field with the same mindset, seeking a progression down the field, but were unable to accomplish their goal. The rest of the first quarter was a battle between the teams, yet neither could find their way into the end zone.

In the second quarter, both teams struggled to change up the game until Millbrook’s starting quarterback fumbled the ball after the snap and the Pride defense was able to recover it.

Although the recovery gave the home team a slight advantage, it was not used to full potential, and Leesville once again could not convert a third down to a first. The ball was again punted to Millbrook. This time the Wildcats were able to advance all the way down the field and put them up against the Pride 7-0.

On this drive, Treyvon Coleman, a sophomore running back for Leesville, broke away from the defenders for a 15-yard run. This not only bought a first down for the Pride but also gave them a stronger sense of hope for scoring and potentially tying the game.  Unluckily, the clock ran out, and it turned halftime before a touchdown play was able to occur.

Back on the field after a pep talk given by Coach Derrick Smith, the head coach for the JV team, the home team kicked the ball to the Wildcats. While they did not have the ball, the Pride began the third quarter looking extremely strong and ready to fight. Millbrook quickly ended up in the red zone but were met by a motivated defense.

Defensive back Edgar Faulkner, defensive end Nic Jones, and linebacker Dylan Smith were three big names during this drive. Each player made a tackle that altogether were able to stop three straight attempts for a touchdown and forced the Wildcats to kick for a field goal.

Looking to make the score 10-0, the Millbrook kicker approached the goal and lined up amongst his teammates. Dylan Smith, defensive linebacker for Leesville, was able to stop the kick and contain the Wildcats for the time being.

At the end of the third quarter, the score remained 7-0, with Millbrook ahead.

While the Pride’s defense looked ready to take over in the third quarter, Leesville’s offense and defense both did not look so hot in the fourth. Millbrook was able to score twice, only missing one PAT kick.

In the end, Leesville’s JV football team was not able to score and fell short to the Wildcats. The final score of the game was Millbrook 20, Leesville 0.