by Steve Bradley
The Stillwater Warriors made a visit to the Panther Den last Friday evening. The 2 – 2 Warriors came in looking to upset the Panthers. The Warriors put up a good fight early in the contest, but the Panthers wore them down. Although the Panthers offense did not play their best game of the season, the defense stepped up and kept Stillwater from gaining any confidence throughout the game.
[private]Halfway through the first quarter, Stillwater took over at their own 20 yard line after a missed Panther field goal attempt. On the Warriors’ first play from scrimmage, the quarterback threw a 25 yard pass down the middle that Panther Troy Costantino caught in stride, looking more like the intended receiver than the intended receiver, and returned it 10 yards to the Stillwater 37. The Panthers didn’t score after the turnover, but it kept Stillwater pinned in their end of the field.
A couple of Panther possessions later, at the Stillwater 21, quarterback Garrett Wright gave Brandon Hodges the ball twice, with Hodges running left. On the next play, with three minutes left in the first quarter, quarterback Garrett Wright faked to Brandon Hodges going to the left, and Wright headed to the right with the ball. Wright went into the end zone from 16 yards out, barely touched, to put up the first score of the game. The PAT kick failed, and the Panthers held a 6 – 0 lead.
There were no scores by either team until just over six minutes left in the half when a wide open Thomas Peabody caught a pass from Wright at the Stillwater 20 yard line, tucked it in his arm and carried it down to the goal line where he dove into the end zone. Again the PAT failed, but the Panthers had a 12 – 0 lead.
With three minutes left in the half, with Stillwater just inside Panther territory, Costantino picked off his second pass of the night and ran it back 60 yards to the Stillwater 12 yard line. After gaining a couple of yards in three plays, the field goal team came out for a 27 yard attempt. Damon Dubois made the field goal, and the Panthers went into the break with a 15 – 0 lead.
The second half opened with Thomas Peabody receiving the Warriors’ kickoff at the 16 yard line and returning it into Stillwater territory at their 48, a 32 yard return. If not for a Warrior barely getting a hand on Peabody’s foot as he ran by, it would have been a TD. HF took advantage of the good field position and marched down to the six, helped by a Wright to Levi Brewster 21 yard pass. From there Brandon Hodges bulled it in. After the PAT was made the Panthers had a 22 – 0 advantage. With the way the Panther defense was shutting down the Warriors, a great Stillwater comeback was not looking like it was in the cards.
Later in the third quarter, Stillwater drove down to the Panther nine yard line. In a running play from there, the Stillwater ball carrier fumbled the ball at the Panther three, where Austin Pitt recovered it. From there the Panthers moved down the field to the Stillwater 29, and Wright passed to Levi Brewster to tally another HF score.
In the fourth quarter Mike Mattat ran the ball in from the Stillwater 4 to cap the scoring.
Though the Panther offense did not have its sharpest game of the season, it still gained 355 yards, with 192 coming through the air and 163 yards on the ground. Wright was 13 of 26 passing and added another 35 yards on the ground. Wide receiver Brewster had 4 catches for 88 yards.
The Panther defense, with Peabody leading the way with eight tackles along with Mattat’s seven, had a dominating evening. The defense really helps take the pressure off the offense. When the competition gets tougher, the Panther D will be counted on to step up. The defense held the Warriors to just 143 yards and has only given up 13 points on the season. Special teams looked good, and seeing a field goal attempt made was a good sign. Field goal points could be game winners in late season games.
This week, the Panthers host 0 – 5 Catholic Central on Friday at 7 pm to kick off Homecoming Weekend.
In other news: The Chatham Panthers defeated previously unbeaten Fonda 44 – 14 last weekend. This week they face 3 – 2 Watervliet.[/private]