VINTON — Sports are often dictated by momentum in both the highs and lows of moments.

After taking a 14-6 lead in the second quarter behind a 2-yard Dakota Marcantel touchdown, 11th-seeded Vinton got a harsh dose of how fickle momentum can be when No. 3 Sterlington outscored the Lions by 32 points in the final 26 minutes Friday night to win 52-28 and advance to the Class 2A semifinals.

The Panthers (10-3) will return to Southwest Louisiana next Friday to play No. 2 seed Kinder (13-0), who beat Springfield 42-14. Kinder is the defending

Sterlington used a dizzying assault of big plays to run by Vinton (8-5), which controlled the game early but was eventually worn down by Sterlington’s bigger roster.

That assault started with about 2 minutes left in the second quarter, when Sterlington wide receiver Jaylan King took the first of a pair of screen passes for a 72-yard touchdown. A stop on Vinton’s next series set the table for a second King effort, a 36-yarder that put the Panthers up for good.

“I thought we were playing OK defensively and on offense we were doing enough to move the ball and get ahead,” Vinton coach Tarius Davis said. “Those big plays kind of swung the momentum and they’ve done that all year long.

“In that stretch of the game we thought we had control. Then, they throw a little screen and we miss a couple tackles. That kind of put things back on their side.”

King finished the game with four catches for 137 yards, but it was Sterlington’s running game that did the most damage.

Six of their eight touchdowns came on the ground, with three backs finding paydirt.

King set the tone for the second half by taking the opening kickoff 97 yards to the Vinton 2.

“For the most part, we kind of just settled in and do what we do,” Sterlington coach Jason Thompson said of the adjustment. “Jaylan’s made plays for us all year.”

Running back DeVante Douglas’ 2-yard touchdown set the tone for a 26-point Sterlington third quarter that put the game out of reach.

Douglas finished with a game-high 167 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries, with Jeffrey Griffin adding 89 yards and a score and Sam Lowrey finishing with 40 yards and two scores.

“The thing we’ve benefitted the most from with these guys is the competition,” Thompson said. “They push each other daily. They all want the ball and the carries.”

Vinton moved the chains twice in the second half, both on long touchdowns.

The loss capped a 24-win career for this senior class that gave Vinton back-to-back quarterfinal appearances.

“It’s a special group,” Davis said. “They came in when I came in. They don’t have anything to be ashamed of.

“To turn it around after Vinton had been down like it was is an accomplishment.”(Kirk Meche/Special to the American Press)

Kirk Meche