RedZone: Panthers look to ride forward momentum, rise to 1A elite

(Photo by Johnny Autery)

It is unlikely that anyone will ever touch Woodrow Campbell’s record at Marengo. Campbell won 169 games in 36 seasons as a head coach from 1976 through 2004. During that run the Panther legend made the playoffs 13 times and took four area championships. His place in Marengo lore is well set.

That said, Eberne Myrthil is already the second winningest coach in school history. In four seasons atop the program, Myrthil is 28-18 with three playoff appearances and a total of three playoff wins. Most impressively, the culture of the Panther program has effectively shifted. Under Myrthil, they have gone from hoping to make the playoffs to expecting it. They haven’t missed the postseason since 2014 (Myrthil’s first year), and even then the squad finished at 6-4 and on a five-game win streak.

Class 1A, Region 1 bids farewell to county rivals Linden and A.L. Johnson. But the region gets no easier as an improving Millry squad remains as do the reigning, defending, undisputed champions of Class 1A in form of the Sweet Water Bulldogs. Complicating matters more, St. Luke’s drops from Class 2A a season after going 10-2 and falling in the quarter finals to Goshen in a 108-point barnburner.

(Photo by Johnny Autery)
Marengo RB Alphonzo Lewis (3) breaks to the outside for a big gain against the Pirates.

Marengo has also stacked its non-region schedule with Class 2A Southern Choctaw, intra-county rival A.L. Johnson, Class 1A runner-up Pickens County and Class 5A Wilcox Central.

Running that gauntlet will require something akin to the well-rounded production the Panthers put together last season. Marengo hung 451 points on the board during its 9-4 campaign and allowed only 140. The defense allowed 20 points or more only four times on the season: Sweet Water (27), Mobile Christian (26), Linden (20) and Wadley (34). The Panthers also pitched six shutouts in 2017 including two in the playoffs.

That tough defense is built around a physical front seven that is highlighted by defensive lineman Ronald Bouler. The junior already has three seasons as a starter on varsity and enters the 2018 season with 187 career tackles and 34 sacks. Joining him up front is senior defensive end Roosevelt Thompson, who enters his sixth varsity season. At 6-3, 260 Nathan Norwood will also prove formidable in the trenches.

Marengo High School’s Roosevelt Thompson will be key on both sides of the ball this season.

That group will be adept at keeping linemen off of a linebacker corps that includes Alphonzo Lewis, Devin Harris and primary defensive playmaker Curtis Autery. He enters the season with 119 career tackles and will be tasked with playing sideline to sideline.

Offensively, the Panthers want nothing more than to run the ball early and often. They will go to the air with Keshawn Fountain and his passing ability helming the offense. But the Panthers’ goal every Friday night is to physically impose their will and allow their talented backfield duo to get into space.

Thompson handles the fullback duties and enters his final season with 1,240 career rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns. Fresh off a near 1,300-yard season, Alphonzo Lewis will handle the primary tailback duties once again. The senior enters 2018 with 2,107 career yards rushing and 26 touchdowns. He also has a punt return touchdown in every season of his career to date.

If the Panthers are to continue on the journey of forward in postseason play, it’s this senior class that will be called upon to make it happen.