Player of the Week: Lumberton QB Lathan Bowens

LUMBERTON, Miss. (WDAM) - Lumberton head coach Jonathan Ladner knew he had a gifted athlete in Lathan Bowens.

But it wasn’t until the second game of the season he figured out where Bowens best fits on the football field.

Bowens is now 4-1 as the Panthers starting quarterback - rushing for 141 yards, tossing two touchdowns and tallying six tackles on defense in Friday’s 14-8 win over East Marion.

“He’s just one of those guys that he’s a natural-born leader,” said Lumberton head coach Jonathan Ladner. “Don’t say a whole lot but he leads by example and he shows up every day and he works. He is one of the most quiet, humble, nonchalant kid you’ll ever see. If you saw him at practice you’d be like there’s no way that that’s the starting quarterback. But he’s so crisp with everything, he’s just so effortless with it.”

“My role grew as a leader,” Bowens said. “Have a lot of weight on my shoulders to carry the team and do what I’m supposed to do to help us win.”

Bowens reprised his role at safety this year and makes plenty of plays on that side of the ball as well.

He hopes to lead Lumberton to a fourth straight win on Friday.

Undefeated Sacred Heart comes to town with the top spot in region 8-1A on the line.

“Teamwork, working together and just putting a lot of work in the film room, the weight room,” Bowens said.

“I got text messages all weekend after the East Marion game,” Ladner said. “‘Hey coach it’s going to be a playoff-type atmosphere. Hey coach this is what we’ve been working for, this is what we want to play for.’ Our kids are excited, it’s kind of the expectation here. The cool in the air, you kind of feel the playoff atmosphere vibe. I’m expecting a good crowd and I expect ‘The Pit’ to be rocking this week.”

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