Last Friday the FZN football team defeated long-time rival Fort Zumwalt South 52 – 3 to claim their 7th straight district title. They are the first St. Charles County school to accomplish such a feat. With the victory, the Panthers advance to the state quarterfinal playoff game where they will face a familiar foe in Columbia: Battle. The two schools have met six of the past seven seasons in the playoffs. The two schools also played in the regular season earlier this year where Battle handed the Panthers their only loss in a 60 – 43 defeat.
The game against South was a rematch of a contest played in the regular season. In that game, the Panthers narrowly defeated the Bulldogs 18 – 14. It was a much different game this time around. The Panthers scored early and often racing to a 38 – 0 halftime lead. After the Panthers extended their lead to 52 in the second half, the Bulldogs avoided the shutout with a field goal on the game’s final play. On offense, the Panthers used a balanced attack led by quarterback Jack Newcomb who rushed for 134 yards and 2 scores on just 6 carries. Newcomb also threw for 44 yards and one touchdown. Stand-out Chris Futrell added 80 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries. The always dangerous Tyler Oakes scored two touchdowns to go along with his 68 yards rushing. Bobby Merris caught the one receiving touchdown for the Panther offense.
On defense, the Panthers were led by DJ Jones, Chris Futrell, Chris Reckel, Spencer Steinmeyer, Brendan Mahoney and Parker Monnig. Futrell recorded two sacks and picked up a Bulldog fumble. Robert Rezex nabbed his 4 interception of the season.
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The Panthers will travel to Battle on Friday. The Spartans stand at 9 – 1 on the season. Kickoff is scheduled at 7:00 pm. Attendance at the game is limited, but it will be streamed at MSHSAA.TV.