If you ask any of the Panther football players, they will tell you that they enjoy being on the winning end of a blowout. In their last two games, they got to experience what each one feels like.
Last Friday at Twelve Oaks Stadium, the Panthers recorded their first shutout of the season, blasting Mt. Zion 46-0. Mt. Zion, a Region 4 A-AAAAA team, was expected to give the Panthers a tough time, head coach Chad Phillips said. The outcome showed otherwise, however.
The opening kickoff return for a touchdown by senior defensive back Timothy Roberts proved to be a catalyst for the Panthers as they went on to outgain the Bulldogs 325-163 in total yards.
“It was like a dream after I broke a tackle,” Roberts said. “I knew I was going to score.”
Leading the way with the rushing game was freshman Dion Munerlyn, who rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior running back Mitchell Ray also had a good game with 87 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. “God had a plan for me,” Ray said. “I put my trust in Him and my offensive line.”
The offense showed that they could move the chains throughout the game as they were forced to punt only once. The Panther defense caused three forced turnovers, two fumbles, and an interception, which led to 20 points.
“They worked hard all week in practice,” Phillips said. “They showed their resilience after that tough loss.”
Phillips was referring to the previous week’s game against West Forsyth. It’s a game they’d rather forget.
The Panthers were on the losing end of a 63-14 blowout. Their only two touchdowns came in the fourth quarter when the Wolverines put in their second and third stingers.
“They’re a great team,” Phillips said. “They almost beat Grayson last year in the semifinals and would’ve gone on to the state championship. They were ranked fifth coming into the season.”
The game was added to the Panthers schedule when La Grange dropped Starr’s Mill from its schedule for a lower region team. Their only option to fill that open week was to play West Forsyth, a 2011 Region 5-AAAAA powerhouse.
The Wolverines outgained the Panthers 513 yards to 189. The Panther defense showed its weaknesses as West Forsyth piled up 30 first -downs, 19 rushing and 11 passing.
“We didn’t follow through with our assignments,” junior linebacker Luke Ossanna said. “The bus ride home was anything but fun.”
Still, the young Panther running backs showed promise. Junior Gerren Smith had 18 carries for 96 yards. Munerlyn rushed for 38 yards on 14 carries. He has five touchdowns in three games.
“Because of some injuries, we’re having a lot of young players step up,” Phillips said. “We usually don’t play freshmen, but three played consistently throughout the game Friday night.”