In a back and forth game, that featured several lead changes and momentum shifts, the Panther football team notched their first victory of the season with 33 – 28 victory over a formidable Francis Howell squad. The Panther defense made huge strides, after struggling in week 1 at Battle, in keeping in check the explosive Viking offense. Robert Rezex led the way for the Panther “D” with a game high 16 tackles. Rezex also made a highlight reel interception with 32 seconds on the clock to help seal the Panther victory. Parker Monnig (12 tackles), Nate Rapplean (7 tackles) and DeShawn Williams (6 tackles) also had a big games for the Panthers.
On offense, Jack Newcomb continued his strong start to the season by throwing for 175 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Oakes led all Panther rushers with 111 yards on just 9 carries. Oaks scored touchdowns on runs of 6 and 42 yards. Bobby Merris was the leading receiver for the Panthers, catching 6 balls for 82 yards. Chris Futrell added 82 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards to go along with his two touchdowns. Futrell was on the receiving end of a 50-yard touchdown pass in the 4th quarter that proved to be the winning score for the Panthers.
This Friday the Panthers play host to long-time rival Timberland. The two schools have met every year on the gridiron since 2002. The Wolves victory over the Panthers in 2018 remains the Panthers only loss to a conference foe since 2013.
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Kick-off for Friday night’s game is scheduled for 7:00 pm.