Lufkin’s Battle on the Border Opponent Talented Bossier City Parkway

Bossier City (La.) Parkway Panthers (1-0)

vs.

Lufkin Panthers (2-0)

4 p.m. Saturday

At Independence Stadium, Shreveport, La.

Coaches

• Parkway: David Feaster
• Lufkin: Todd Quick

Last week

• Parkway: def. Bastrop (La.), 49-20
• Lufkin: def. Nacogdoches, 42-28

Next week

• Parkway: vs. Shreveport (La.) Huntington, Sept. 16
• Lufkin: vs. Monterey (Mexico) Tech, Sept. 16

Playmakers

Parkway

• QB Justin Rogers, Jr., 6-3, 197 (22 of 27, 285 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 5 carries, 30 yards)
• WR Terrace Marshall, Jr., 6-4, 186 (8 catches, 163 yards, 1 TD)
• RB Robert McKnight, Sr., 5-11, 195 (8 carries, 47 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 57 yards; committed to UTSA)
• DE Antonee Beckwith, Sr., 6-1, 206
• DB Jaylon Hall, Jr., 5-10, 165
• RB E.J. Williams, Jr. (8 carries, 56 yards, 2 TDs; 2 catches, 37 yards, 1 TD)

Lufkin

• QB Kordell Rodgers, Sr., 6-0, 180 (29 of 47, 536 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs; 18 carries, 0 yards, 2 TDs; committed to Texas State)
• WR Dhailon Phillips, Sr., 6-3, 195 (10 catches, 168 yards)
• RB Kahlil Brown, Sr., 5-10, 193 (44 carries, 254 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR Malik Jackson, Jr., 6-0, 170 (8 catches, 149 yards, 2 TDs)
• DB Savon Fields, Jr., 5-9, 168
• WR Javante Ellington, Sr., 5-5, 140 (7 catches, 150 yards, 1 TD)
• DB Jeremiah Davis, Jr., 6-0, 180
• WR Breylon Garcia, Soph., 6-4, 220 (2 catches, 41 yards)

Just the facts

• Lufkin has played seven non-Texas opponents since 1944. The Panthers are 3-4 all time against teams from outside the Lone Star State.
• Parkway is 3-0 against teams from Texas since 2013, defeating Marshall twice and Gladewater the previous three seasons.
• Parkway junior quarterback Justin Rogers holds offers from Arkansas, Houston, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, TCU, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, and UTSA.
• Parkway 2018 receiver Terrace Marshall has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Houston, Kentucky, Louisiana-Lafayette, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Tennessee, UCLA, and UTSA.
• Parkway finished 12-2 last season, reaching the Louisiana Class 5A state semifinals.
• Lufkin running back Kahlil Brown is on pace to rush for 1,270 yards and 25 touchdowns during the regular season.
• Lufkin senior wideout Dhailon Phillips, last season's leader in receptions, has yet to catch a touchdown pass.
• Lufkin is averaging 38.5 points and 409.5 yards per game -- 141.5 rushing and 268 passing.

Key matchup: Parkway passing attack vs. Lufkin secondary. The Parkway Panthers could have one of the nation's top QB-WR combinations with 2018 blue-chip recruits Justin Rogers and Terrace Marshall, Jr. According to Scout.com, Rogers is a three-star, dual-threat quarterback ranked No. 23 in the nation at his position. Marshall is an even bigger recruit, a four-star and ranked by Scout as the country's No. 2 wide receiver and 14th overall in the '18 class. And neither player disappointed in Parkway's season opener last week. Rogers completed 22 of 27 attempts for 285 and two touchdowns in the Panthers' 49-20 victory over Bastrop. His top target was Marshall, who hauled in eight receptions for 163 yards, which included a 45-yard touchdown. Parkway possess weapons in the running game as well with UTSA commit Robert McKnight and junior E.J. Williams, but Lufkin's defense will need to be on high alert in regard to the Panthers' aerial capabilities.

Saturday's game will be Lufkin's biggest test to date on the defensive side of the ball. So far, the defense has had its ups and downs. Through two games, the Panthers are allowing 26 points and 355.5 yards per game -- 123 passing and 232.5 rushing. Lufkin is young but talented in the defensive backfield with juniors Savon Fields and Jeremiah Davis leading the way. Davis will likely draw the responsibility of defending Marshall in one-on-one situations, but Fields will be lurking at safety, and should give Lufkin reliable over-the-top coverage.

Don't be surprised if: Saturday's turns into a high-scoring affair. Both offenses have premium playmakers capable of making it a long afternoon for the opposing defenses. Lufkin senior Kordell Rodgers, a Texas State commit, is a talented dual-threat quarterback in his own right. While he hasn't had to save the Panthers with his legs yet this season, Rodgers is more than capable of extending drives with this feet. Lufkin also possess a deep receiving corps, led by the trio of seniors Dhailon Phillips and Javante Ellington and junior Malik Jackson. Phillips, the team's leading receiver in 2015, has yet to find his way into the end zone but is coming off a 100-yard performance last week against Nacogdoches. Ellington and Jackson have each scored touchdowns covering 67 yards or more.