Patin’s run lifts Lab in 6-1A showdown

• By CHRIS BRANCH
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Oct 31, 2009

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Southern Lab held off Varnado 8-6 Friday night in a showdown of District 6-1A leaders at Southern University’s A.W. Mumford Stadium.

The game, with all the scoring taking place in the first half, played out in rain, mud and trough-like conditions and, near its conclusion, featured a controversy over downs.

Taurean Nixon's 10-yard touchdown run — combined with quarterback Brandon Patin’s two-point conversion run — with 32 seconds remaining in the first half provided Lab (7-2, 3-0 in 6-1A), ranked 10th in Class 1A, with the winning margin.

Before the game ended, there was a controversy, when Varnado (4-5, 2-1) appeared to lose two downs while deep in Lab territory in the final two minutes, according to Varnado coach Paul Meyerchick.

With Varnado facing a third-and-19 at the Southern Lab 30-yard line, a penalty for roughing the passer gave the Wildcats a first down at the Lab 15, down by two points, with 1:42 to play.

Allen scrambled and gained 4 yards to the 11 on first down and was hurt on the play.

After Allen was helped off the field, the officials signaled the next play would be fourth down. Meyerchick claimed the referee admitted to him it was an inadvertent whistle, but gave no indication why the down was switched to fourth down.

Varnado rushed its field-goal team onto the field but missed the 36-yard try with 1:26 remaining.

“Where it should have still been first down, it winds up being fourth down and I don’t know how that happened,” Meyerchick said. “I don’t know why it went from first to fourth down.

“I’ve never seen that happen before.”

The confusion led to discontent among the Wildcats players. Two were ejected on the last play of the game.

“I hate it for the kids,” Meyerchick said. “They’ve got to have better discipline. ... Both teams played too hard for it to come down to that.”

Southern Lab coach Michael Roach was not available for comment.