The Clay High Panthers opened their first game of the season on the road against the Fayetteville Pirates. The field was packed with fans to see two teams battle it out on the grid iron. The Panthers brought their A game and so did the Pirates. One could tell from the start it would be very physical; the Panthers gave as well as they took. The Pirates came into the game not making the mistake of underestimating the Panthers. They knew it wouldn’t be easy, and it wasn’t. The Panthers had good defense, and the offense had some opportunities but couldn’t seem to get it going their way. Other than a couple of plays that got away from them early in the game, the Panthers held their own on defense. The bright spot occurred when Austin Dobbins upended the Pirate runner causing a fumble thus allowing Zach Moore to pick it up and run it in for a defensive TD. It seemed to be the turning point with the momentum going to the Panthers in an instant. It just wasn’t to be though; both sides of the field were taking some hits to the chin by the refs for penalties, and in a game with so many penalties, you never know which way the tide will turn.
It was a good game for the first game of the season, and for some it was their first opportunity at playing varsity. Now that the jitters are gone the Panthers will get down to the business of winning. The boys had a good game – they played hard and gritted it out till the final whistle. Some of the players are pretty banged up but will hopefully be ready to play their home opener against Braxton this Friday night. The bugs will be worked out this week at practice and the Panthers will be ready. 
