Head coach RJ McDonald said Lanett spent the summer trying to fight above its weight class and compete against big teams. That preparation paid off against Bullock County, a 4A school. Lanett defeated Bullock County in the season opener by playing all four quarters and winning 14-13.

The Hornets struck first, but the Panthers answered with four minutes left in the first quarter. The second quarter was a stalemate on the defensive, with LHS stopping Bullock County at the 3rd yard line to end the half.

The highlight of the game, however, came in the fourth quarter. The Panthers couldn’t have started the early attack better. It began with a long run by Fred Broughton, who may have earned a spot in the starting lineup with his performance on Friday night.

The play of the game goes to running back Rankenzia Tucker, who followed Broughton with a 40-yard run to get the ball to the four. A couple of penalties against Bullock County, something that had been troubling the Hornets all night, made the game a matter of inches. Eddie Mitchell converted the ball to make it 14-7.

The game seemed over with less than eight minutes left. The Hornets had advanced from the Lanetts’ five-yard line to their own 26-yard line on one play. Bullock County’s quarterback ran only 40 yards to recover the ball down the field for holding and personal fouls. The ball was intercepted by Lanett’s Alajawon Whitfield.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Bullock County had an attack of its own on the next play and scored a touchdown with six minutes left. In a risky maneuver, the away team decided to score two touchdowns.

The Hornets’ quarterback dropped the ball and the score remained 14-13, leaving Lanett to run out the clock for the remaining few minutes.

Perhaps the high point of the evening’s energy came when Christopher King made a big hit and fumble recovery to give the Panthers possession and put the game away.

Lanett will be away next week to play regional rival Beulah on August 30.