Last year, the Panthers had many notable defensive players graduate so the defense this year has been a bit of a question. Nonetheless, the defense has stepped up the first two games of the season, including in last Friday’s 28-7 win against Whitewater.
“It was kind of a bend but don’t break defense tonight,” head coach David Cooper said. “We didn’t necessarily play great, but when the opportunity presented itself, we were able to make a play to get our offense back.”
During the game against Northgate on August 16, Cooper emphasized the importance of the mentality of aggression, which proved true defensively in last Friday’s victory. The Panthers snagged three interceptions, forced four fumbles, and recovered three. Starr’s Mill held the Wildcats to less than 200 yards of total offense.
“[Defense] has been good, people have been stepping up,” senior Josh Layton said. “People who came back have been doing the same thing they were doing last year but better.”
Junior Blake Turner led the team with 13 rushing attempts for 97 yards. Cochran had 2 receptions for 14 yards and 2 touchdowns. Senior Lincoln DeLeare had 6 receptions for 63 yards. Inagawa ran the ball 5 times for 28 yards and completed 10 of 16 passing attempts for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Potter had 95 yards rushing on 14 attempts.
The first quarter had a lot of back and forth between the teams proving that the offense could not work alone to get the win. Senior Jeremiah Potter scored a touchdown on a 20-yard run. The Panthers kept up their momentum in the second quarter when sophomore Thomas Cochran hauled in two touchdowns courtesy of senior quarterback Logan Inagawa.
“I just practice how I play,” Potter said. “I stay focused and try to not let the game get to me.”
In the second half, Starr’s Mill offense had to find a balance with the defense to run the clock as much as possible. Junior Skip Smith gave the Panther offense excellent field position following a 70-yard return. The final touchdown was a 5-yard run by Inagawa in the third quarter leaving the defense to hold on to the win.
“You’ve just got to go 110 percent on offense,” Turner said. “And then just outscore what the defense lets down.”
Starr’s Mill hosts Veterans High School at 7:30 p.m. on August 30 in Panther Stadium.