Panthers hand the Blue Jays their first defeat!

The FZN football team recorded their first conference victory of the season with a 42 – 7 victory over previously undefeated Washington. The Jays had blown out their three previous opponents with an offense that was scoring 30 plus per game and a stingy defense that had only given up an average of less than 6 points per game. The Panthers led 21 – 7 at half, but the Blue Jays appeared to be on the cusp of making it a one score game when they marched the ball down to the Panther one-yard line on the opening drive of the third quarter. The momentum of the game turned in the Panthers favor when the Panther D stood strong to record their first goal-line stand of the season. From that moment, that Panthers took control of the game scoring 21 unanswered points. The victory was the Panthers 8th straight over the Blue Jays.

The Panther defense, which had its finest outing of the season, was led by Eddie Angleback who recorded 13 solo tackles on the night. Other defensive standouts included Robert Rezex (12 tackles), De’Shawn Williams (12 tackles) and Nate Rapplean (10 tackles). PJ Henderson, Parker Monnig (2), De’Shawn Williams and Brendan Mahoney all recovered fumbles for the Panthers.

On offense, Chris Futrell once again had a big night carrying the ball, recording 160 rushing yards on just 15 attempts. Futrell also scored 3 touchdowns. The versatile Tyler Oakes rushed for 56 yards on 6 attempts while leading the Panther receivers with 3 catches for 68 yards. Oakes was on the receiving end of two of Jack Newcomb’s touchdown passes. Newcomb had a steady night throwing the ball, completing 6 of his 10 attempts for 115 yards and two scores. The capable DJ Jones also scored for the Panthers.

This Friday the Panthers continue conference play as they travel to Fort Zumwalt East to take on the Lions. The Lions are coming off their first victory of the season, a 27 – 14 victory over Francis Howell North. Kickoff at East is scheduled for 7:00 pm.