LILBURN, Ga. — The Lowndes football team rallied from a three-score deficit to take a slight lead at halftime.

But second-half errors and a capitalizing defense caused the No. 5 Vikings to go scoreless the rest of the way in a 39-27 loss against the No. 8-ranked Parkview Panthers at The Big Orange Jungle in Lilburn on Friday night.

“We got down and we kept fighting,” Vikings coach Randy McPherson said. “We have a young team. We just have to continue to work and get better. I think this game is definitely something to build on.

“…This game was a good test for us. We didn’t play well enough to win, but we will get better.”

Travis Tisdale did a little bit of everything for Lowndes’ offense in the team’s first road game of the season. He rushed for 245 yards and two scores, averaging 11 yards per carry on 22 attempts. He also added 84 yards receiving on five catches to lead all Vikings’ receivers.

Tisdale broke free and raced 63 yards for a go-ahead score with 2:29 remaining until halftime. The Vikings’ ensuing 2-point conversion try failed and they clung to a 27-26 lead at intermission.

Andrew Koenemann was 17 of 25 passing with two touchdowns and an interception for the Vikings (2-1). He completed a 4-yard TD pass to Christian Stephens to give the crimson and white their first points midway through the first period. 

Tisdale’s first scoring run went for 77 yards with 8:11 remaining in the first half, pulling Lowndes within 26-14.

Three minutes later, Koenemann connected with Ty Simms across the middle for a 45-yard scoring strike, capping a quick, four-play drive to bring the Vikings within a score.

“The execution wasn’t the same as in the first half, and without a couple of penalties, it would’ve been a different ball game,” McPherson said.

The Vikings were flagged for a pair of false start penalties and again for a late hit, all in the second half.

Gary Osby led the Vikings’ defensive effort with seven solo tackles, including one for a loss. Tiberius Drocea had five solo stops and Josh Brown had four solo tackles with two for losses.

With both sides playing to a scoreless third, the Panthers (2-0) broke through with two scores in the final quarter.

Malik Washington ran for a 17-yard TD with 8 minutes remaining and caught a scoring pass from Jordan Williams with 2 minutes left to help Parkview upset Lowndes.

Washington finished with a game-high 145 yards receiving on 12 receptions for the Panthers. Cody Brown rushed for a game-high 131 yards on 19 attempts with a 66-yard TD that extended the home team’s early advantage to 20-7.

Williams completed 19 of 26 passes for 277 yards and four TDs.

Parkview’s Kobe Wilson recorded seven solo tackles (two for losses), and Bryce Wilson had five solo stops with two for losses.

Both sides displayed explosive offensive ability. The Panthers tallied 474 yards of offense and Lowndes had 442. 

“We got exposed in a couple of different areas: up front, defensively, offensively. But the kids played hard the entire game and that’s a good thing,” McPherson said.

UP NEXT

Lowndes begins another two-game home stretch Friday, hosting East Coweta.