MEMPHIS PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

Here’s a roundup of Friday’s TSSAA and MHSAA playoff football games, based on information submitted to The Commercial Appeal:

Lausanne 42, FRA 21: The visiting Panthers scored first on a 65-yard touchdown pass from Sean Casey to Kingston Gardner with 25 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, but the Lynx weren’t going to let FRA celebrate for too long. On the first play of the second quarter, Lausanne’s Kyle Lowe hooked up with Nick Floyd on a 66-yard scoring strike, and the Lynx (7-4) were off to the races. Craig Cunningham scored twice and KJ Sneed added one TD as Lausanne built a 28-7 halftime advantage. The remainder of the way was a battle of the quarterbacks. Lowe ran for a pair of scores, while Casey accounted for his two through the air. Lowe finished his night with 208 passing yards and 66 on the ground. Sneed and Cunningham rushed for 105 and 80 yards, respectively. The Lynx travel to ECS for the Division II-AA semifinal round.

MUS 35, Knoxville Catholic 28: There were long Owl touchdowns and there were short ones, but at the end of the night, it was an all-important MUS victory in this Division II-AAA home showdown. The Owls (10-1) enjoyed a 27-7 lead at the half on the strength two Clarkson Shoaf TD receptions (7 and 5 yards). Hunter Kendall opened the scoring with a 4-yard run. The other touchdown came courtesy of an 89-yard run by Edwin Shy, the fifth longest in school history. Tommy Winton caught a 14-yard TD pass to allow the Fighting Irish to close the gap to 27-21 at the 9:30 mark of the fourth quarter. However, on the first play of the ensuing MUS possession, Vaught Benge scored on an 80-yard touchdown run. The Owls will host MBA in next Friday’s semifinal. Houston 55, White Station 20: The cold weather wasn’t an issue for the host Mustangs, especially standout running back Lincoln Pare, who rushed the ball 22 times for 287 yards and four touchdowns. The senior also corralled a 28-yard TD pass from Ethan Burns, who also connected with Hank Pearson on another touchdown of 43 yards. Pare’s first touchdown went for 65 yards. The Spartans attempted to stay competitive behind the strong play of Dwight Holmes II. He threw for 263 yards and TDS to Shamari Covington (59 yards), Brandon Harris (10) and Greg Rubin (16). At 12-0, Houston will welcome Whitehaven to town in Friday’s Class 6A quarterfinal.

Covington 14, South Gibson 10: Known for their premier rushing attack, the visiting Chargers were good enough on this night in Class 3A action. Covington (10-2) combined for 135 yards on 43 carries and two touchdowns. Andrew Scott led the way with 78 yards and one touchdown (2 yards). Jalen Fayne scored the other from 10 yards. The Chargers will host Wooddale next Friday.

Olive Branch 24, Madison Central 7: The Conquistadors are now Starkville-bound following their MHSAA Class 6A firstround victory over the visiting Jaguars. Olive Branch (9-3) prevailed thanks in large part to the rushing duo of Gary Banks II (118 yards) and Preston Jeffries (103). Both scored touchdowns, while Eli Ashley threw for another to go along with his 147 yards passing. His favorite target was Temias Mason (97 yards and one TD).