Rain was pouring down on Panther Stadium this past Friday, setting the stage for their first region game against the Harris County Tigers. The teams stayed at each other’s throats for region momentum. When the rain finally let up, the Panthers stood victorious, beating Harris County 14-10.

Among eight different Panther ball carriers, junior Brandon Mathis contributed the most with 16 carries for 94 yards. Sophomore Greigh Joseph had his first big game of the season with 13 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Will Yarbrough made some strides in the passing game, going 4-for-7 with 61 yards and an interception.

For Harris County, junior quarterback Cooper Corey proved to be a double threat. He went 14-for-23 with 136 yards and a touchdown, as well as rushing for 50 yards on 13 carries. Junior running back John Austin Cochran pitched in the run game with nine carries for 40 yards.

‘We’ve been in that situation already three times,” head coach Chad Phillips said. “[Against] Sandy Creek we burned the last five minutes of the game and they didn’t get [the ball back], just like [Harris County] tonight. We’re just proud of the boys. People don’t understand the time they put into this thing and the time the coaching staff puts in.”

Following the Panthers’ first drive in the opening quarter, Harris County started with the ball at around the eight minute mark. They churned the clock throughout the rest of the quarter through a series of small plays, minus a big 24-yard run by Corey. 

They made it all the way into the red zone, only to leave with a 31-yard field goal by junior kicker Vicente Perez for a 3-0. As Starr’s Mill began their next drive, Harris County carried their lead into the second quarter.

On the Panthers’ next drive, they faced two consecutive third and ten situations. In both scenarios, Yarbrough threw for the conversions to junior Malachi Townsend and senior Cole Bishop, respectively. They kept moving from midfield slowly but surely. At the goal line they ended their drive with a one-yard touchdown from Joseph, taking the lead 7-3.

“[My first touchdown] was a great feeling really,” Joseph said. “Just getting the gears turning, the gears turning. We got everybody kinda hyped on the sidelines. It put a really good impact on the team. I think we got started, [and] after that we just kept going and going.”

Harris County got nothing on their next drive, resulting in a blocked punt that started the next Panther drive on their 40-yard line. As their drive progressed, Yarbrough overthrew an open sophomore tight end Josh Phifer. Senior Braxton Bray intercepted Yarbrough’s next pass attempt intended for senior Gavin Necessary.

Now on their own 45 after the return, a targeting call on the Panthers catapulted the Tigers all the way into the red zone. As time waned in the quarter, Perez came out for a 24-yard field goal attempt. Perez slipped as he was approaching the ball, and shanked the kick wide right. At halftime, the Panthers led the Tigers 7-3.

Following the homecoming festivities, rain really started coming down as the atmosphere thickened significantly to begin the second half. With the ball, Harris County drove down the field, including receivers junior K.D. Hutchinson and senior Marcus Dumas making two 20+ yard juggling catches on consecutive third downs.

“We were just like, ‘Shut their momentum down, and we gotta stand our ground. Bear down’,” junior free safety Marc Stampley said. “We’re always working hard on defense, pushing the offense and the offense is us. It’s amazing to show how it finally pays off.”

Two plays later, Corey chucked the ball into the right corner of the end zone to Hutchinson, who hauled it in for a score. The Tigers retook the lead 10-7. The next Panther drive was interrupted four plays in when freshman Dorsey Benefield lost a fumble, which was recovered by junior Anna Durham. 

The succeeding drive was a quick three and out, giving the Panthers another chance to take the lead. They pushed downfield until they came across fourth down at the end of the third quarter, still trailing 10-7.

They converted with a fake punt rush from senior linebacker Wes Haney to keep their drive alive. On the next play, Yarbrough passed to Phifer for a 19-yard gain to break into the red zone. Rushes from Mathis and Joseph helped the offense get closer and closer to the end zone. Finally, Joseph broke the plane from the one-yard line for a touchdown to take the lead 14-10.

“The work never really stops,” Joseph said. “We work out every day of the week. Monday through Friday. Friday is the big day where we gotta put everything on the line. Just the preparation that the coaches put us through, all the guys in the locker room, and they all just really work hard. That’s why we do good on Friday nights.”

Down once again, the Tigers attempted to push for another score, but were shut down by the Panther defense. On their own 36-yard line on fourth and nine, Harris County made the decision to punt the ball away. Starr’s Mill now had the ball with 5:32 of clock to run out.

Mathis, along with some help from Benefield and Haney, bought time to keep the clock ticking. At last, a six-yard rush by Mathis put the game away for good. The offense went in victory formation twice to allow the game to expire. As the rain finally started to let up, Starr’s Mill stood victorious over Harris County, 14-10.

After their first region game, Starr’s Mill extended their win streak to four, with a record of 4-1, and a region record of 1-0. Across the region, Griffin took down McIntosh 38-7. Next week, the Panthers will take on another formidable foe in the Northgate Vikings.

“[This matchup] was a huge momentum game, because [Harris County]’s one of the playoff teams, and now we’ve got really a two-game lead on them because we beat them head to head,” Phillips said. “Now we cannot become complacent… We gotta keep grinding. There’s a reason we’re in this situation. It’s because of the way [the players] work, the energy and effort they put in what they do, and we gotta keep doing it because Northgate’s a dangerous opponent, and then we play Griffin.”

Starr’s Mill will travel to Newnan to face the Northgate Vikings this Friday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.