by Steve Bradley
With seven starters out due to injuries or illness, the HFCS Panthers gave the Corinth Tomahawks all the game they could handle. The shorthanded team did everyhing they could to secure an important victory but in the end a win slipped away and probably a spot in making the sectionals.
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With three players out with concussions, two others with miscellaneous injuries and two sick, the coaching staff filled the holes as best they could. The players that filled those holes gave it everything they had. When the team found themselves down in the scoring column, they rallied and came back to tie the game. Every player gave his best effort.
Corinth got out to 8 – 0 lead as the Panthers struggled early. With starting center Kellan Skott out, along with two backups at the position, C.J. Yavaniski stepped in and it took a few snaps to get his shotgun snaps right.
“He’s a wide receiver, the first time he ever played center was Tuesday,” head coach Ron Jones would later say.
On the Panthers’ first possesion, pinned at the Corinth four yard line, a snap sailed over quarterback Wyatt Cushman’s head and out of the end zone, giving the Tomahawks a safety. A safety is two points to the defense and the ball goes back to the play’s defenders.
Corinth got the ball back after another high snap on the Panthers next possession. On the ensuing play, Corinth scored from 18 yards out on a running play. A short time later, Corinth tacked on another touchdown with a 30 yard interception return.
Now down 14 – 0, the game was slipping away.
On the Panthers next possession, they brought the game back. From their own 28, Cushman took the snap and handed off to Conner McCart who was running full speed parallel with the line of scrimmage. McCart raced 72 yards to the end zone for the Panthers first score. The two point try was good.
Corinth got one more touchdown on a 17 yard run. The extra point try was no good. Corinth was unsuccessful the entire evening on any of their extra point attempts.
This brought an end to the first quarter with a score of 20 – 8. There was no second quarter scoring as both defenses stiffened.
Corinth got the first third quarter score on a 21 yard run, giving them a 26 – 8 lead. But the Panthers regrouped and quickly scored on their next possession. A 38 yard pass from Cushman to Wyatt Whitman for a big Panther score gave everyone a big lift. The two points after touchdown try was no good.
Later, still in the third quarter, the Panthers took the ball 75 yards down the field to a score. McCart gained 31 of it on the same play he scored on earlier in the game. Cushman dove in from the two yard line for the score.
In the fourth quarter, Cushman hooked up on a 47 yard reception with a wide open Tristan Hunt, tying the game. The PAT was no good, and the score was locked at 26 – 26. The shorthanded Panthers had clawed their way back into a tie with a team that had only one loss. It was a credit to the players and coaches.
But the Tomahawks were not to be denied. Starting at their own 23 yard line after a penalty against them on the kickoff, they used a nine play drive to go the length of the field to score.
When the Panthers got the ball back, they used their four downs to try to get that critical first down. As hard as they tried, they couldn’t come up with the required ten yards and turned the ball back over to Corinth.
It was the last time the Panthers had the ball as Corinth used a successful onside kick. A 43 yard run by Corinth capped the scoring and any hopes the Panthers had of bringing home the win.
This week the Panthers will face the league leading Greenwich Witches. Undefeated Greenwich (6-0) is coming to HFCS Friday evening for a 7 pm start. For the Panthers to reach sectional play, they must beat Greenwich and Hoosic Valley has to lose to Granville. It is also Homecoming and Senior Night.[/private]