Panthers pounce early to defeat East!

The FZN football team seized the momentum early and never let up in their most recent contest against conference foe Fort Zumwalt East. The Panthers scored on each of their first seven possessions of the game, eventually cruising to a 74 – 12 victory over the Lions. With the victory, the Panthers improved to 4 – 1 (2 – 0 in conference) on the season and remain in first place in the GAC Central. The victory also marked a milestone for Panther head coach Joe Bacon, as he became the first coach in the Fort Zumwalt School District to amass 100 head coaching wins. Bacon took over the reins of the program in 2008 after having been an assistant within the program the previous 11 years. Under Coach Bacon’s guidance, the Panthers have captured seven conference titles, six district titles, made three appearances in the state semi-finals and one appearance in Missouri’s “Show-Me” Bowl. A humble Coach Bacon credited his players and assistant coaches for achieving such a feat.

Against East, the Panther offense was once again impressive amassing most of their 350 years of offense in the first half. Quarterback Jack Newcomb continues to play good football for the Panthers, completing 9 of 10 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown while successfully conducting the Panther triple-option offense. Chris Reckel also saw significant time for the Panthers at the quarterback positon where he rushed for 2 touchdowns (54 and 19 yards). DJ Jones made his first start of the season at the fullback positon and rushed for 2 scores. The always reliable Tyler Oakes led all Panther rushers with 85 yards including a touchdown carry of 47 yards. Parker Monnig, Bobby Merris and Jaylen Lee all added offensive touchdowns for the Panthers.

The Panther defense continued its resurgence by allowing the Lions just 134 yards of total offense. The Panther defense once again put points on the board, this week on a 21-yard fumble recovery by Jaylen Lee. The Panthers defense was solid all night, with Eddie Angelback (9 tackles) and Dane Bishop (10 tackles) leading the way. PJ Henderson and Brayden Miller had fumble recovering for the Panthers.

This week the Panthers play host to the Knights of Francis Howell North. The two team have not met on the gridiron since 1999. The Knights had spent the previous 20 years playing the GAC South before joining the GAC Central this season. Kick-Off is scheduled at Robert Fisher Stadium for 7:00 pm.