Allen Hamrick
The Clay High Panthers opened their first game of the season on the road against the Patriots of Midland Trail. It was a hot evening and even hotter on the field with a good breeze to sort of average things out. It was celebration night for the Patriots as they were breaking in a brand new field; if Astroturf can be beauty, it certainly was. There were fireworks and enough gala to go around, and the Panthers were given the opportunity to stain it for the first time. The stadium was packed with fans to see two teams battle it out on the grid iron. The game got underway, and right off the hike, one could tell it was going to be a tough defensive battle on both sides of the field.
The Patriots had the ball first and were getting some tough short yards when they decided to let a pass get loose in the Panther backfield. Noah Collins was the first football player to stain the new field with Patriot tears as he took his interception all the way to the football history books scoring the first TD. Jaxon Brown came in with the extra point. The Patriots lifted their chins off the field and prepared to take it to the Panthers. However, they didn’t know the Panthers had a kicker with a bionic leg. In all the history of Panther football, very few kickers have hit the field with a kick like Jaxon Browns. He sent that kickoff over their heads; it went nearly 60 yards in the air. Each proceeding kickoff went to the end zone…in the air, very impressive.
The Panther defense stepped up and caused complete havoc on the line as Patriot runners had no place to go but down. Bryson Peters and Blake Coleman, along with Ayden Brown and Christian Bryant, were all over the field bringing down the Patriots; in short, they were wreaking havoc on the Patriots’ offense. The Patriots were pushing down the field gaining brutal turtle yards when they decided to pass again. Once it was let loose, in stepped Noah Collins again to pick it off and give the ball back to the Panthers. The Patriots also did a good job on defense in the first half by chasing Noah Collins out of the pocket and making their way through the Panther offensive line. That was about it for the first half with the Panthers leading the game 7-0.
When half time was over, the Panthers picked up where they left off on defense. The Panther offense still struggled a bit getting yards, but that was about to change. The Panthers pushed deep into Patriot real estate and Collins took the ball in from about six yards out. After that, it was all Panthers as Joel Elliot caught a pass for a TD and Noah Collins rushed for another TD. When it was all said and done, the Panthers put a big dent on the new field defeating the Patriots 28-7. Noah Collins was 15 of 23 in passing for 180 yards and had 22 rushes for 106 yards. He also had four solo tackles and two interceptions. Bryson Peters had nine receptions for 93 yards and on defense had nine solo tackles and one sack. Blake Coleman had nine solo tackles, seven assisted with two for losses. Ayden Brown and Kohan Ramsey had six solo tackles each. Next week, they will have to get some of the bugs out as Buffalo comes to town with nothing but Panther steak on their mind – it should be another good game.
CUTLINES:
pic1- Bryson Peters gets the sack.
Pic2- Blake Coleman brings down the big man.
pic3—Jaxon Brown sends it airborne for 62 yards.
Pic4- Ayden Brown #7 gets the job done in the backfield.
Lady Panthers dropped some bombs at Braxton
By Allen Hamrick
Well, volleyball fans, the Lady Panther team started their season off on a road trip to Gilmer County, which proved to be a nail biter. The Lady Panthers are a team that is stacked with young talent and are a team to be reckoned with. They have several players who can pinpoint their shots as well as hit a ball so hard that the other team has a hard time picking it up. This set with Gilmer went all five games to determine the winner. Gilmer took the first game 25-21, and the Lady Panthers came back in a spittin’ contest in the second game and won 27-25. Gilmer took the 3rd game, and the Lady Panthers came back with another pacemaker busting performance winning 28-26. In the last game, something happened to the Lady Panthers as they fell off the wagon and lost the game 12-25. It was a good opener for the Lady Panthers, and it showed them a couple things that they needed to figure out before the match with the Lady Eagles of Braxton.
The Lady Panthers’ cannons were loaded as they hit the Lady Eagles’ floor on Thursday evening. The JV team started off with two wins, and then it was Varsity’s turn. With the Lady Eagle Varsity up next, it was redemption time for the Lady Panthers. The Lady Panthers took it to the Lady Eagles as Rylee Burkhamer was dropping bombs along with teammate Zoey Jones. They were being set by the master of the net… Maddie Morton. The Panthers won the matchup 25-15, 25-15, and 25-12. The Lady Panthers will be on the road most of the season with just four games at home for some reason. Next up will be Calhoun on Tuesday evening and Doddridge on Thursday. Come out and catch a game – Lady Panthers are on the move.
CUTLINES:
pic5- Rylee Burkhamer sends the kill shot.
Pic6- Zoey Jones sends the heat.
Pic7- Jaedon Delwarte masters spot killing.
Lady Mustangs begin the season by handing out losses
By Allen Hamrick
The Lady Mustangs are geared up for the 2024 Volleyball season. They have been under the gun in practice as Abby Boggs and Anissa Collins, the dream team set of coaches, set the standards and are running herd. The Lady Mustangs are looking like a team that wants a little revenge for last season and are ready to bring the gold back to CCMS. They have some cannons on the line coming from Laney Sears, Vanessa Cleavenger, and Roxy Schoolcraft – these ladies will definitely scatter some grape shot. In addition, Autumn Rapp has a gun arm that is nearly nonreturnable when she serves. The whole team is stacked with talent enough to beat the best and be the best. Last week, they had the chance to prove it in their season opener tri-match. The Lady Mustangs butted heads with both Walton and Geary at Geary.
Walton was up first on the chopping block, and it was like a balloon against a needle. The Lady Tigers played their best but were no match for the Lady Mustangs, and they went down quick in two straight games. Geary was up next, and it was pretty much the same side of the record. The Lady Panthers did what they could, but in the end it was the Lady Mustangs mopping the floor by again winning in two straight. This season’s team will have more heavy hitters in the field and Lady Mustangs that can climb ice with tooth picks all the while digging like gophers. It will be all out volleyball, and any team that plays them will have to bring more than an average game to the courts because the focus will be on winning and becoming CWVAC champions. This should be a good season for the CCMS Lady Mustangs. They have been conditioned to win, and they are the dream team that could go all the way. Their ext match is with Webster on September 9, so come out and support the teams.
CUTLINES:
Pic 8- Laney Sears demonstrates the touch kill.
Pic9- Roxy Schoolcraft gets the dig.
Pic10- Kennedy Adkins makes the super save.
