The Livingston Academy Wildcats started the 2020 football season with a 12-10 win over the Westmoreland Eagles Friday night.
A rainy night in Westmoreland saw a slow-start for the Wildcats, but a strong third quarter propelled them to the season-opening win.
“It’s a win,” said LA head coach Bruce Lamb. “It wasn’t pretty football at all, but that’s the first competition we’ve had since Nolensville (in 2019). We expected it to be kind of messy. The weather didn’t help out a whole lot. I thought our kids fought hard. I thought at halftime we were a little bit shell-shocked and we came out like they always do and continued to play hard and things worked out for us.”
The Wildcats struggled to build an offensive rhythm in the first half. Two botched snap attempts near their own end zone resulted in two safeties for the Eagles, giving Westmoreland a 4-0 halftime lead.
Lamb said the poor weather, an abridged offseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a young team made a perfect combination for a slow start.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” said Lamb. “I just love how hard we played. They lined up and played football. That’s old-school football right there.”
LA found an effective formula in the third quarter. Senior quarterback Parker Coleman, who was making his first start at the varsity level, led his team down the field on the ground on a drive that was capped by a five-yard touchdown rush by Kaleb Robinson. The two-point-conversion attempt fell short, but the Wildcats held a 6-4 lead.
Lamb said the drive was huge for Coleman’s confidence.
“It was huge. He needed that more than anyone on the team,” said Lamb. “He’s not played since the eighth grade. He’s an amazing athlete and he’s going to have to do that every game.”
Nathan Carwile intercepted a WHS pass on the ensuing drive, then caught a touchdown pass on Coleman’s only attempt of the night to give the Wildcats a 12-4 lead.
The Eagles struck back with a touchdown in the final minute of the game. They recovered an onside kick to keep their hopes alive, but the Wildcat defense forced a turnover-on-downs to secure the win.
Lamb said he was pleased with his defensive effort.
“I thought we got tired a little bit… but when we stayed low we controlled them,” said Lamb. “The linebackers, Xander Cantrell and Nate Carwile, those guys played great. I thought everybody did a pretty good job.”
Coleman led the way on the stat sheet, unofficially rushing for 127 yards and a touchdown, while adding another through the air.
Robinson tallied 42 yards and a touchdown.
“Kaleb Robinson didn’t have the numbers that he usually has, but he made some cuts on a wet field that made people miss,” said Lamb. “I like what we did.”
After an offseason full of question marks on if the season would even occur, Lamb said he is happy football is being played.
“Absolutely, because I never thought this would happen,” said Lamb. “Back in March and especially in the summer I never thought we would be doing this. I don’t think anybody did. We’ve only had 12-13 days in pads, that’s it, so for us to come out and compete like we did I’m very proud of them.”
The Wildcats (1-0) will return to the field Friday night when they take on the Cookeville Cavaliers (1-0). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Tucker Stadium at Tennessee Tech University.
