It’s been a season of high drama for the Starr’s Mill Panthers’ football squad which enters the season’s second half with a 2-3 record and a couple of “what ifs.”
With the exception of a 48-7 opening-day loss to Class AAAAAA power North Cobb, the Panthers have been in a position to win every contest.
Their game against Drew is a perfect example. Despite trailing 21-0 at the half and 28-0 with seven minutes left in the third quarter, the Panthers rallied behind senior quarterback Kyle Moseley, senior running back John Smith and the Panther defense to tie the game at 28 with 4:45 remaining. The tie, however, lasted only 13 seconds as Drew’s Maurice Cash returned the ensuing kickoff 76 yards to put Drew back ahead 35-28.
Moseley led the Panthers back one more time, hitting sophomore running back Dion Munerlyn with a 31-yard touchdown pass with 26 seconds left in the game. With the score 35-34, head coach Chad Phillips decided to go for two and the win instead of kicking the extra point and taking his chances in overtime.
“All the seniors and coaches agreed that we should go for two. It would have ended the game and that’s what we wanted,” Phillips said. However, Smith’s attempt to sweep around the right side was stopped short, leaving the Panthers on the short end of a potentially stunning come-back victory.
Phillips had some reflections after the game. “We were a little flat the first half,” he said, “and we didn’t play well on offense. This was our first road trip in three games.” Phillips said that during halftime, the seniors took charge in the locker room and motivated their teammates for the second half. “They knew they shouldn’t be down 21 points,” Phillips said.
Smith had 119 yards and three touchdowns in the loss while Moseley threw for 129 yards and a touchdown.
The close game was indicative of the Panthers’ season so far. In the season’s second week, Starr’s Mill held off in-county rival Fayette County 28-26, surviving a potential game-winning pass into the end zone by Fayette County in the game’s final minute. The throw from the Starr’s Mill 29-yard line went off junior receiver Desmond Fletchers’ hands and fell incomplete, sealing the Panthers’ win. Senior tight end Seth White had a touchdown reception from Moseley and senior Gerren Smith had a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown to lead Starr’s Mill to its first victory of the season.
“We need to work on our third-down defense, and the penalties we had killed us,” said Phillips, referring to the Panthers’ 10 penalties for 92 yards against Fayette.
The Panthers then squared off with another team from the state’s highest classification when West Forsyth visited Panther Stadium. The Panthers held their own in a back-and-forth contest, and when Smith scored on a 15-yard run with 2:37 left in the game, Starr’s Mill had a 29-26 lead. But West Forsyth went 61 yards in just three plays to thwart the Panthers’ upset bid, 33-29. Smith ran for 187 yards and three touchdowns in the game.
Another three touchdown performance from Smith led the Panthers to a 49-22 victory over Mt. Zion of Jonesboro. Smith had 19 carries for 151 yards. Moseley completed five of eight passes for 82 yards with no interceptions and ran for a touchdown.
At the halfway mark, Smith leads the Panthers’ offensive attack with 663 yards and 11 touchdowns on 105 carries. Moseley has passed for 479 yards and three touchdowns, with White on the receiving end of 12 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown.