After Friday night’s game, freshman running back Dion Munerlyn had racked up two touchdowns and the Roberts brothers combined for three interceptions.
“Coming off the loss against North Cobb, everyone was hungry for a win,” junior defensive lineman Austin Seamon said. The Panthers were on the wrong end of a 42-3 score against North Cobb in their season opener.
Against Fayette, Munerlyn scored the first touchdown with 1:02 remaining in the first quarter.
“Personally, I worked hard to make sure the Panthers could come home with a victory,” said Munerlyn, who had 21 carries for 185 yards. His two touchdowns came on runs of 24- and 68- yards.
The offense forced holes for Munerlyn and junior running back Gerren Smith, who carried the ball 16 times for 75 yards.
“The defensive did well,” head coach Chad Phillips said. His defense allowed one touchdown at 11:13 in the second quarter when Fayette running back Montrel Kelley ran for 24 yards. The Tigers opted to go for two but were unsuccessful and the first half ended with the Panthers ahead 7-6.
The third quarter was a different story. The Panther defense held the Tigers to 6 total yards in eight plays while the offense produced 126-yards on 16 plays. Senior defensive back Joshua Roberts gave his team a lift with the first of his two interceptions off Tiger quarterback Jason Williams.
“I felt like we needed a big play,” Joshua Roberts said. His second interception came about three minutes later, which lead to Munerlyn’s second touchdown.
The Panthers’ strong defensive play continued into the fourth quarter. With 10:03 left in the game, junior linebacker Luke Ossanna recovered a fumble on the Tiger 34-yard line.
Munerlyn, who was on his way to a 200-yard game, suffered a cramp early in the fourth and left the game. Senior kicker Daniel Rorick converted a 27-yard attempt to give the Panthers a 17-6 lead that would not be challenged.
Fayette tried to come back with an 83-yard drive, but the Panthers forced a fumble in their own end zone, causing the ball to go out of bounds for a touchback.
With 2:53 remaining, senior defensive back Timothy Roberts intercepted Williams at the Panther 6-yard line, ending the Tigers’ chances of a comeback.