Still recovering from several injuries, Tuesday night’s game was the Starr’s Mill varsity boys team’s second game with a completely different lineup than their normal one. Despite the changing lineup, the Panthers defeated the Tigers 9-1.

“The players, a lot of them have been asked to take on different roles than they are used to and have worked really hard to do what we need,” head coach Aaron Buck said.

Junior Emilio Meza scored the only two goals in the half within three minutes of each other. The first of those two goals came in the first minute of the match. 

The pace slowed tremendously and no more goals were scored, even with several shots on goal by Starr’s Mill. The Panthers led 2-0 at the half.

Sophomore Grant Ferron posted a hat trick in the first 13 minutes of the second half, increasing the lead to 5-0. Fayette County would then score their lone goal of the match to avoid the shutout. After four additional goals by the Panthers, Starr’s Mill defeated region opponent Fayette County 9-1.

“It gave me some more confidence than I had before,” Grant said about scoring his first goal. “[I] got found by some amazing teammates.”

With the win, the Panthers are now third in the region with a 3-2 record. The team travels tonight to face region opponent Trinity at 8 p.m. 

Starr’s Mill closes out region play on March 27 when they host North Clayton.