Allen Hamrick
It was hot and muggy Friday evening as the Roane County Raiders came to town looking for the taste of vengeance from last year’s defeat by the Panthers. That defeat kept the Raiders out of the playoffs, and they came to turn Panthers into kitty cats. Going into the game, the Panthers were ready. They were coming off back-to-back wins with both an offense and a defense that would rival the best, but… Bradley Field was packed with fans on both sides to see the Panthers and the Raiders duke it out – it was going to be a good one.
The game started, and the first round of rib busting by both defenses heated up. Then it was as if the Raiders could do no wrong and the Panthers couldn’t do anything right. The Raiders got on board throwing a right hook into the jaw of the Panthers, and the Panthers never did get up off the mat from there. The Panther offense couldn’t get the yards as they were stopped by the Raiders on most plays. It seemed at one time the only forward advance for the Panthers was from penalties. That was until Brody Scarbro had a great run for the only Panther TD with an extra point by TJ Pritt. It looked like the Panthers had got their mojo back, but on the ensuing kickoff the Raiders ran the ball in for yet another TD.
This deflated the balloon of the Panthers, and they never recovered. The Raiders kept adding numbers on the board like a calculator, and by half time the only positive was that there was another half to try and overcome the first half.
The Panthers came out in the second half now the underdog, and it would prove to be a tough road to get points. The Raiders came out with a game plan and stuck to it running the ball down the throats of the Panthers as the Panther defense was handled by the Raider offensive line.
It is not to say that the Panther defense wasn’t doing a good job, but the Raiders made no mistakes on offense and ran their plays by the book. The Panthers played hard on every down and never gave up, but there are times that fate just doesn’t give any ground and even the best teams lose at some point. The final score in the game was Clay County 7, Raiders 55.
The Panthers will be on the road this week at Sissonville. They will have to pull the bandages off this loss, get down to the business of football and shake off the loss – there is always the chance of playoffs and a possible meeting of these two teams again. Maybe the next time it will be the Panthers out for vengeance. Get out this week and support the Panthers against the Indians; it promises to be a great game.
In other football news, the Mustangs were home again against Sherman this past week. Once the game started, one could tell that the Mustangs hadn’t got the fire lit in the oven yet as Sherman seemed to score at will. The Mustangs got on the board though with some good running by Torin Shirey who carried the ball 14 times for 255 yards and three TDs. Brice Nichols also kicked in the afterburners carrying the ball 10 times for two yards and two TDs. Most of the action for the Mustangs came after the first half, but by that time Sherman was so far ahead that it was gonna be an almost impossible road to a win. In the second half the Mustangs came out and pounded the ball down the throat of Sherman and outscored them 30-12. But it was too little too late. The final score was Mustangs 36, Sherman 48.. This game is a true testament to the grit of the Mustangs’ desire to win and determination to never give up. This Thursday they will travel to Summersville to take on the Bears. If you get the chance, come show your support.
