STERLINGTON, La. &045; Sterlington struggled with turnovers early and trailed at the end of the first quarter but rallied for a 35-19 victory at home over Ferriday on Friday night.

The Panthers (6-1) trailed 13-7 at the end of the first period and led just 21-19 at the break. But the defense stepped up big in the second half, shutting out the Trojans.

That helped Sterlington overcome four fumbles for the game.

&8221;We held them to minus yards in the second half,&8220; Sterlington head coach Dell Ashley said. &8221;It wasn’t anything particular. We just picked the tempo up a bit.&8220;

With sophomore running back Deshanti Mitchell out for the year with a knee injury, it was up to Jimmy Douglas to carry the load for the Panthers. The junior did that nicely, carrying the ball 21 times for 122 yards and four touchdowns.

Douglas now has 17 rushing touchdowns on the season.

Two other backs also contributed over 100 yards for Sterlington. Michael Peeler ran the ball seven times for 66 yards, while Ashton Hughes added another eight carries for 48 yards.

Quarterback Darren Sutton added 145 yards passing, including an 87-yard touchdown to Ahmad Paige.

&8221;(Douglas) had another real good night,&8220; Ashley said. &8221;He did what he had to do. The others chipped in more than 100 yards, too.&8220;

Ouachita Christian 51, Vidalia 12

MONROE &045; Ouachita Christian got ahead by 30 points in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead against Vidalia, winning 51-12 Friday.

Three runners had 60 or more yards as OCS piled up 282 total rushing yards over the Vikings, led by Matt Laird’s 102 yards and Matt Turner’s 93 yards. Matt Kennedy added 60 for the Eagles

&8221;We had a good night running the ball, then our defense and special teams provided great field position,&8220; said OCS coach Steven Fitzhugh. &8221;We were able to capitalize.&8220;

Laird, who was just 4-of-5 for 57 yards but had two passing touchdowns, also scored on a 34-yard run. OCS’ Rob McGill, who recovered the ball for a safety, also hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Laird. Chris Benjamin caught a 21-yard Laird pass for a score as well.

Caleb Brasher began the scoring with an 8-yard run, part of OCS’s dominating first quarter. Zach Wilson also returned a kickoff for 84 yards to score.

Vidalia’s scores came in the second and final periods. Demack Bates scored on a four-yard run before the half, then Brandon Hawkins hit Trye Keith for a 19-yard touchdown. The kick failed both times.

Vidalia fell to 1-6, while OCS bettered its record to 6-1 &045; though the Eagles haven’t entered District 2-2A play yet.