By Matt Vines, Journal Services
Make no mistake – Winnfield isn’t celebrating its 1-4 start after a 46-28 loss to Bunkie on Friday.
But the Tigers are taking stock of what has gone right – and the offense has produced in the first season of Byron Keller.
Winnfield rushed for 231 yards and kept Bunkie from completely pulling away Friday as the Panthers (5-0) remained undefeated.
Bunkie scored the first three touchdowns to build an insurmountable lead, but the Tigers did match their opponents from that point on.
“We need to find success at the start of the game,” Keller said. “We have been in this routine of making mistakes the first two series on offense and defense.
“We’re having to climb out of a hole the rest of the game. We have to control the start of the game and make our opponents have to catch up.”
Detavious Williams sprinted five yards for Winnfield’s first score, and Richard Williams scooted 31 yards to cut Bunkie’s lead to 27-16.
The Panthers added a score to build their cushion, but Winnfield’s Craig St. Cyr got in on the action with a wide 18-yard run to keep Winnfield within 35-22.
But Bunkie running back Zion Lee (Navy commit) proved to be too much as he rushed for six touchdowns and kept the Tigers at bay.
The Bunkie defense has also been stars of their show as the Panthers have allowed just 31 points combined in its first four games against teams like St. Louis Catholic, Central Catholic and Avoyelles.
But Winnfield, with its meaty offensive line and explosive weapons, nearly matched that total with 28 points.
Now the Tigers just need faster starts, and they’ll try their hand this week against a Rosepine (0-5) squad still looking for their first win.
The contest is the last non-district game before Winnfield dives into District 3-2A play.
“We have a tough, resilient mentality, and we’ll play until the clocks hit zeroes,” Keller said. “We are definitely battle-tested. We have contended with a top Class 4A program and two top Class 3A programs.
“We are getting better every week, and we are working hard to win the district championship.”
