Woodlawn found itself in a major bounce-back moment Friday, having lost its opening game when the Panthers hosted one of teams expected to challenge in the race for District 6-4A championship.
Junior quarterback Rickey Mitchell certainly did his part, and the rest of the Panthers followed suit.
Woodlawn rallied several times in the game, and it was its passing game triggered by Mitchell, which played a significant role in a 43-40 victory.
“Going into the week we knew if we could make the throws we have the receivers,” Woodlawn football coach Tramon Douglas said.
Mitchell, a rotational player at quarterback in 2025, enjoyed career-highs in yardage (363) and touchdowns (3) and helped engineer a final drive that took the last 8 minutes, 15 seconds off the clock to cement the three-point victory.
Mitchell is this week’s LouisianaSports.net’s Player of the Week.
“After the loss in Week 1,” Douglas said of his team’s 49-6 setback at St. Amant, “I knew that we had the right guy back there to do what we need to do moving forward through the season.”
Douglas said Mitchell was the victim of several dropped passes and also had a touchdown called back in the team’s opener.
He believed with Mitchell, and the talented skill-position athletes surrounding him, there was enough ability on the offensive side.
“We knew we could be real explosive,” Douglas said. “It (St. Amant loss) wasn’t just on Rickey. It was a combination of a lot of things. We kind of finally put it together offensively and that’s what we should be able to do for the rest of the season. That we can be consistent with our throwing and catching.”
Mitchell completed 18 of 31 passes with an interception. Wide receivers Omar Morehouse (7 catches, 134 yards), Jordan Knox (6-132) and Austin Primus (2 TDs in third quarter) were complimentary on the outside, while running back Brian Carter added 95 yards on 20 carries.
Knox had a total of 133 yards worth of kickoffs returns in three attempts.
“The most important thing was that he understood the offense and understood the protections,” Douglas said of Mitchell. “We had to focus on the mechanics during the offseason. You always have to focus on your mechanics as a quarterback. We had to go into details with his mechanics so he could be better.”
Douglas credited assistant coach Marcus Randall, a former LSU quarterback, for the time spent with Mitchell who was in a rotation with Randall’s son Cayden last season.
“His freshman year he was so far behind,” Douglas said. “Coach Randall worked with him his sophomore year and he made a big jump, but it wasn’t big enough. He worked with him again this offseason and know he’s starting to make an even bigger jump. He’s getting more consistent like we know he can, but can he do it on a consistent basis?”
Woodlawn trailed 32-19 at halftime when Mitchell went to work with a pair of touchdown passes to Primus. It was his 18-yard score with just under seven minutes that gave his team a 35-32 lead.
Brusly answered with a touchdown of its own for a 40-32 lead, when Knox returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards and Primus’ 25-yard TD reception from Mitchell, and two-point pass to Morehouse, that took place 19 seconds later to account for the final score.
“The confidence we have in our offense, we know we have elite receivers and we have to make sure we deliver the ball to them,” Douglas said. “We know they’re going to get open. We just need a little time to get the ball off, but at the same time you’ve got to deliver the ball. If you can’t deliver the ball, then the receivers can’t showcase their talents. We knew the kind of offense we have. We knew what kind of passing game we have.”
Douglas’ belief in Mitchell soared when he watched his quarterback avoid a charging defensive end to step up in the pocket and deliver the two-point pass to Morehouse.
“That was a point in the game when I realized that he had grown up now, that he understands,” he said. “When you see quarterbacks stepping up in the pocket and delivering throws, or having to run out there, now you know they understand they’ve got it and feel comfortable now. Now that I’ve seen I’ll expect it all of the time.”
Both teams exchanged turnovers with Jordan Knox coming up with an interception before Woodlawn fumbled at its own 25-yard line.
Brusly went backward, though, with four consecutive penalties and wound up punting to Woodlawn which held the ball the remainder of the game.
“I told the offense they were not getting this ball back,” Douglas said. “It’s time to get the W. Credit to our running game, to our offensive line and to a couple of throws to Jordan. That was the biggest thing I was proud of all night.
“We ran the ball, slowed it down and milked the clock by getting first downs,” Douglas said. “I was proud of the whole offense where we kept the defense off the field, kept this lead and milk the clock. I was proud to keep the ball away.”
