Prime Time Moments: University wins defensive battle with Madison Prep for 6-3A Title
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
BATON ROUGE – University High linebacker Lane Mixon gave chase, making a line for Madison Prep Academy quarterback Dylan Reed, who was trying to avoid pressure outside of the pocket.
Reed was in the process of extending the play when Mixon closed in for a sack on the final play of Friday’s game that clinched the Cubs’ 14-8 victory and a share of the District 6-3A championship at Jeff Boss Field.
“All week we worked on prepping for them, doing everything we could to get this win,” Mixon said. “It was a big district game. We worked all week, and it showed tonight.”
University (7-2, 5-0 in 6-3A) can win the league’s outright title with a win at Port Allen next week. The Cubs, tied for No. 3 in Class 3A, extended their winning streak to six games and have won four of their last six matchups with the No. 2 Chargers (7-2, 4-1).
“We play a tough schedule to start with,” U-High coach Andy Martin, whose last losses were to Class 5A Brother Martin (30-17) and Catholic High (28-14). “We get ready for these games, and we want to be peaking at the right time. We’re still not there yet. We’ve still got a lot of work still to do.”
University rallied from an 8-0 halftime deficit with the only offensive touchdown of the evening. The Cubs made it 8-8 at the 5:10 mark of the third quarter on quarterback Ethan McGlynn’s 20-yard TD pass to Lawson Dixon on first down.
U-High added what proved to be the game-winning score with nine minutes remaining in the game.
Senior cornerback Lorenzo Cooper came up with his team-high fourth interception and brought it back 78 yards for his first pick-6 of the season.
“I was trying to make sure I didn’t get caught,” Cooper said. “I knew we needed a big play. I just wanted to help my teammates out so we could get the W. I just had to execute my game plan.”
Mixon, the team’s leading tackler on the season, added his team’s second interception of MPA’s Landon Johnson, dropping back into his zone and returning it 18 yards to his own 41-yard line with 5:18 to play.
It was that kind of night for U-High’s defense that held Madison Prep, which was averaging 44.1 points, to 246 yards on 59 plays and no offensive touchdowns. The Chargers’ previous low this season was 22 in a loss to Class 5A Southside.
“We played lights out on defense,” Martin said. “All of our guys played their butts off. Offense had some tough breaks, but they did what they had to do. A complete win for us. Excited for it.”
Madison Prep’s defense was nearly equal to the task. The Cubs, who were averaging 43 points and 318 total yards, finished with 95 total yards on 39 plays and wound up having to punt back to the Chargers with 1:59 left.
Punter Mason Melancon saved his best effort for last, pinning MPA down at the 1-yard line thanks to his coverage team.
“Great job by our special teams,” Mixon said. “They’re a big part of what we do, and that allowed us to do our thing on defense.”
Reed, who took over at quarterback and allowed Johnson to move to receiver, advanced MPA from its 1-yard line to its own 30 with a pair of completions. Following a spike that stopped the clock with 13 seconds left, Reed was flushed from the pocket until Mixon tracked him down as the horn sounded.
“We knew we were playing a great team and that’s what we had to do, and we did that all night,” Cooper said.
Johnson provided the only offensive highlight of the first half, taking in Melancon’s punt at his own 25-yard line. He broke through the Cubs’ defense, reached his own sideline, and raced untouched to complete the 75-yard score, and Jaylin Smith’s two-point run made it 8-0 at the 6:05 mark.
U-High began two drives in Madison Prep’s territory in the first quarter, both of which fizzled out after a holding penalty and a third-down incompletion led to Melancon’s punt that Johnson brought back for the touchdown. The Cubs also punted after beginning a series at the Chargers’ 25 following a short punt.
“It felt like a larger score, but it wasn’t,” Mixon said. “Coach said to keep going at it, and we did and fought our way back the whole game. We never stopped.”
U-High reached MPA’s 15-yard line in the second quarter when an intentional grounding call pushed the Cubs out of scoring position.
With a 3-yard punt giving U-High the ball back at MPA’s 25, the Chargers’ defense forced a fumble that resulted in a nine-yard loss, and the Cubs were later whistled for an ineligible man downfield. McGlynn was then hit in the pocket and fumbled on third down (which U-High recovered) early in the second quarter.
“We talked at halftime, and we were only down 8-0,” Martin said. “Our defense played awesome. They held that team out of the end zone, and they’re averaging about 50 points a game. I’m so proud of our guys (on) offense, defense, special teams. We never gave up hope. We knew we were down 8-0. We’ve been in these situations. We’ve played Rummel and Catholic. We’ve gone down and had to come back. This team’s getting better.”
U-High put together its only scoring drive, increasing the game’s tempo to try to catch MPA flat-footed.
The Cubs went 61 yards in nine plays with Sage Ingram and Corbin Odell combining to run five times for 24 yards, giving McGlynn an opportunity at the end zone where he found Dixon with a defender draped all over him.
“Ethan put it on the money,” Martin said. “It was really pass interference, but he made the play through it.”
Martin’s son William helped tie up the game with a two-point pass to Bradley Goodson.
The teams exchanged punts, and the game moved into the fourth quarter when MPA faced first-and-10 from U-High’s 20 following Johnson’s 21-yard completion to Keyon Johnson.
U-High got pressure in the face of Johnson, which resulted in an off-balanced throw that went directly to Cooper for an interception.
“I knew I had to stay disciplined and stay in my zone and make sure I do what I’m supposed to do so my teammates could depend on me at big moments like that,” Cooper said. “I just came up and made a play.”
University 14, Madison Prep 8
Score By Quarters
Madison Prep 8 0 0 0 – 8
University 0 0 8 6 – 14
Scoring Summary
MPA – Landon Johnson 75 punt return (Jaylin Smith run)
UHS – Lawson Mixon 20 pass from Ethan McGlynn (William Martin pass to Bradley Goodson)
UHS – Lorenzo Cooper 78 interception return (pass failed)
MPA UHS
First Downs 16 9
Rushes-Yards 33-91 29-56
Passing Yards 155 39
A-C-I 12-26-2 6-10-0
Punts-Avg. 4-21.5 7-29.7
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 2-0
Penalties-Yards 11-90 8-70
RUSHING: MPA – J’on Profit 12-52, Landon Johnson 10-36, Harlem Turner 6-29; U-High – Sage Ingram 12-36, Corbin Odell 10-25
PASSING: MPA – Landon Johnson 8-15-2-107, Dylan Reed 4-11-0-48; U-High – Ethan McGlynn – 6-10-0-39, TD
RECEIVING: MPA – Keyon Robinson 5-31, Landon Johnson 2-16; U-High – Corbin Odell 3-7, Lawson Dixon 1-20, TD