Allen Hamrick
It was perfect weather for football this past Friday night as the CCHS Panthers took on the Indians of Sissonville. This home opener officially christened the new field, and a win would seal the deal. Alumni, from football players to majorettes, took part in the ceremony to open the new field. These men and women played and cheered when the field was dirt and blood mixed from teams of hard-hitting bone breaking action that was a staple of this community. From mud- and snow-covered fields to fog and mist, the battle between who was the best played on down through generations that will not be forgotten but…the good old days are over. This is the dawn of a new day, and those washed and clean uniforms will more than likely stay that way.
The new field affords the opportunity for the future pro bowl players of Clay County to be the best they can be, a place where there will be no more bad hops on the softball field; although, I believe that sliding into base will take some getting used to. This field will be a place that, if Clay ever gets a soccer team, they will have a regulation field to play on. All the board members and Greg Gency, President of Clay County Bank, were on hand to watch superintendent Phil Dobbins officially cut the ribbon on the new field. It’s here, it is pretty and it’s a nice touch for the youth and the school system.
This game against the Indians was the Panthers’ true home opener, and a win on the new field was needed to springboard the future of the field. There was no way a team should even think they could come onto Panther fresh real estate on a special night and do anything but lose, no matter who they are or how far they travelled to get here.
Buzzards circled the field and had their sights set on the Indians the whole game; they knew the end was four quarters away and just a matter of time. Straight out of the chute, the Panther offense and defense went to work on the Indians. When the Indians got the ball the Panther defense took it back quickly as Jakoby Nichols intercepted. After a couple of punts by both teams, the ball was handed to Brody Scarbro, and he took it to the house on a big run from scrimmage. This was not going to be a repeat of the Roane loss. The Indians could not get the ball past the Panther defense and had to punt. The ball went to speedster Jakoby Nichols who juked and jived his way into the endzone for the punt return, leaving the Indians scattered all over the field.
The Panthers gave the Indians an early Christmas present and let them score to keep the game interesting. The Panthers came right back and a run by Brody Scarbro took the ball in the endzone for his second TD of the evening. The Indians snuck past the Panther defense again and scored but were answered once again by Cooper Collins who took the ball into the endzone himself. It was the play of the game with just under ten seconds remaining. The Indians had the ball and were fifteen yards out from scoring, with one last chance for a score. They threw the ball, Joel Elliott intercepted and literally kicked in the after burners to outrun the field. He took it nearly 100 yards for the TD as time ran out. If that boy was on the CCHS Track team, there might be a champion in the making. At the half, it was Panthers 34, Indians 14. The game moved on after that, and it was all Panthers as they went on to score twenty more points to end the game Panthers 54 Indians 21. The game was well played by the Panthers, all the right calls were made at the right time and executed by the players and the Indians never stood a chance.
On offense, the Panthers played as if this was a championship game. One can’t say enough about the offensive line – they did a great job containing the Indian defense, allowing for some good runs and giving Cooper Collins the time he needed. The Panthers will be at home again against South Harrison this Friday evening, so come out and support the team.
