Kinder making run at another championship, beats Mangham in semifinals
Adam Hunsucker, Special to the American Press
MANGHAM — The clock was No. 6 Kinder’s only friend at Lobrano Field on Friday night.
The No. 6 Yellow Jackets (9-2) held the ball for over 30 minutes and found a way to hand No. 2 Mangham (11-1) its first loss of the season. Bryce Laughlin’s 11-yard run with 1:05 remaining clinched a 19-13 win in the Class 2A semifinals.
Kinder advances to face No. 1 Many in the championship game Sunday, Dec. 27 in Natchitoches. Many advanced with an 83-36 win over General Trass.
“That’s been our M.O. since the playoffs began,” Kinder coach Bret Fuselier said. “A semifinal game on the road is always tough. We beat (No. 3 Loreauville) on the road last week and no. 2 on the road this week to get where we want to be — in the championship game. You can’t say enough about the resiliency of these kids. They just found a way again.”
Mangham coach Scott Wilcher said his team could not sustain drives late in the game.
“The problem was in the second half we couldn’t run the ball and we came up several times fourth-and-short and had to punt it. In a tie ball game, you’re not going to take that chance but hats off to our kids for playing hard.”
Laughlin scored two touchdowns and ran for 48 yards on eight carries. The Jackets gained 173 of their 249 total yards on the ground.
Kinder held Mangham to 210 total yards.
The Dragons entered the game averaging 45 points per game.
“We knew the firepower they had coming in and hats off to our guys,” Fuselier said. “We found a way this week to hold them in check and what a great win for them.”
A Mangham fumble led to Kinder’s first touchdown, a Trenton Bono three-yard run.
Going to the air in the second quarter, the Jackets scored again on Bryce Laughlin’s four-yard run. Fawcett completed two passes for 33 yards to set up the score.
Kinder and Many split a pair of Class 2A championship games in 2014 and 2015, with Many winning 22-15 in 2014 and Kinder answering with a 35-20 win in 2015, its second championship in a three-year span.
Rodrick Anderson/American Press file photo