Panther Varsity Falls to Alvin 27 - 30

Friday night in Alvin the Panthers fought both a tough Alvin team and the wind and rain as tropical storm Fay moved it’s way inland. A small crowd of die hard fans turned out in rain gear and huddled under umbrellas to watch our water-logged young men battle it out against the Yellow Jackets.

Alvin made the first attempt to get on the board as they took the opening kick off and drove down deep into Oak territory. A failed field goal attempt from the 10 yard line turned the ball over to the Panthers. The Panthers moved the ball steadily down the field aided by an excellent 24 yard run by Josh Keen. Derrick Brown scored on a 13 yard run and Andy Yost followed up with the point after to make the score 7-0 with 7 minutes remaining in the 1st quarter. Alvin took the following kick down to the Oak 17 yard line on a 57 yard return that was tacked on to by a penalty against the Panthers. Alvin scored on a 17 yard run and the point after was good to tie the score 7-7. Nate Petross received ensuing kick for the Panthers and had a terrific return of 32 yards to set up the Panthers at the Alvin 46. A 4th down pass from Brown to Kurt Ware was good for 19 yards and put the Panthers in scoring position. The field goal by Yost was good to put the Panthers back in the lead 10-7 at the end of the 1st quarter.

At the beginning of the 2nd quarter Alvin quickly answered back with a TD pass and point after to move back into the lead 10-14. The see saw scoring continued as Brown scored on a beautiful 76 yard TD run followed by Yost’s point after kick put the Panthers back on top 17-14. Once again Alvin came back with a TD and point after to move ahead 17-21. Not to be outdone, the Panthers began their next possession and drove down the field on the running of Brown, Keen and James Cooper. Brown connected again with Ware on a 15 yard TD pass and again Yost’s point after was good to put the Panthers in the lead 24-21 to close out the 1st half.

The 2nd half was marked with less scoring as both defenses began to tighten up. The Panther defense gave the ball back to the offense when Bryce Hudman recovered an Alvin fumble on the Alvin 20 yard line. The Panthers moved down to the Alvin 8 yard line where Yost made good on a field goal to put the Panthers ahead 27-21 in the 3rd quarter. Again Alvin answered back with a TD and point after. The game remained tied 27-27 until the final seconds.

The Panther defense gave the offense another opportunity when Cody Butler recovered a fumble on the Alvin 10 yard line. The Panthers were unable to add on to the score when the field goal attempt was no good. The next several series were marked by turnovers by both teams as the slippery ball proved difficult to hold on to.

Nate Petross gave the Panthers another offensive opportunity when he intercepted an Alvin pass with 1:17 to go in the game. Unfortunately, the passing game was not successful and the Panthers were forced to punt to Alvin with 1 minute remaining in the game. The Yellow Jackets moved the ball down the field and as time ran out, kicked a field goal to win the game 27-30.

Offensively, the Panthers were led by the running of Brown, Keen, Cooper, Petross and Avery Johnson and the kicking game of Yost. The Brown to Ware passing connection was a great addition for the Panthers. Slogging away in the trenches and contributing key blocks for the night, the line was led by the work of Aaron Hudman, Seth Brodrick, Brandon Wilson, Grant Campbell, Brian Carlson, Joe Fitch and John Wilson.

Panther Varsity Falls to Deer Park 14 - 28

Saturday night at Klein Memorial Stadium, the Panthers closed out the non-district portion of their schedule with a loss to the Deer Park Deer. Following the opening kick off, the Deer got on the board with a TD pass on their first play of the series. The point after was good making the score 0-7 with 30 seconds elapsed in the game. The Panthers were forced to punt on their first possession and the Deer began their second possession at midfield. The Deer pushed the ball down the field and scored again to put the Panthers in the hole 0-14.

On their next series the Panthers put together a well executed scoring drive that covered 79 yards. A nice run of 41 yards by James Cooper caught the Deer looking the wrong direction and set the Panthers up at the Deer 19. On the next play a Derrick Brown to Kurt Ware pass moved the ball down to the 5. Brown scored on a short run and Andy Yost made the point after kick to bring the Panthers back to 7-14 in the 1st quarter.

The Panther defense tightened up and held the Deer in check on their next 2 drives. Unfortunately the Panthers turned the ball over on a fumble deep in their own territory that set the Deer up at the Oak 6 yard line. The Panther defense held their ground and forced the Deer to settle for a field goal to make the score 7-17 with 8:30 remaining in the half.

With 4 minutes remaining in the half, the Deer were threatening again when the Oak secondary forced a fumble that was recovered by Kenny Roberts at the Oak 14 yard line. However after a couple of good runs by Josh Keen and Cooper, the Panthers turned the ball on another fumble that set the Deer up at the Oak 29. The Deer scored on a TD pass and made the point after to close out scoring in the 1st half with the Panthers down 7-24.

Hope returned for the Panthers at the beginning of the 2nd half as they put together a 75 yard scoring drive on their first possession. A 16 yard gain by Brown and a 9 yard gain by Grant Campbell set the stage for Brown’s 43 yard scoring dash around the right side. Yost put up the point after to bring the Panthers back to 14-24. Once again the Deer where quick to answer back and scored on a TD pass to move ahead 14-31 with 6:29 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

With 3 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter the Deer were threatening again when the Panther defense took the ball away in the end zone. However on the next play, the Deer intercepted a pass and where back in business at the Oak 23. The Deer scored on the series, and although barely into the 4th quarter, scoring was over for the night as each teams’ defense kept the others offense in check.

Leading production for the offense was Brown, Cooper and Keen. Fighting it out in the trenches was Campbell, Kirk Elder, Brandon Wilson, Aaron Hudman, Seth Brodrick, John Wilson and Brian Carlson.

The defensive effort for the night was led by Eric Wendt, Brandon Locke, Bryce Hudman, Michael Colschen, Kenny Roberts, Cody Butler, Dylan Dahmann, Bubba Hestand and Jared Lucher.

We love you Panthers! Enjoy your week off and then let’s go get Spring

Varsity Drops District Opener to Spring 13 - 14

Friday night at Klein Memorial Stadium the Panthers lost a hard fought game in the final minute to the Spring Lions. The Lions began their final possession at the Oak 43 yard line with 3:56 remaining in the game following a punt by the Panthers. The Lions scored on a 9-yard run to tie the game and tacked on the point after to go ahead with 40 seconds left. Unfortunately it was a scene similar to ones that the team and fans have experienced in two other games this season. The Panthers record of 0-4 is not at all indicative of the level of commitment, effort and heart that have gone into each game.

The 1st half of the game was a see-saw battle that was deadlocked 0-0 as neither offense was able to mount a scoring drive. The Panther defense turned in a superb performance, forcing the Lions to punt on their first three series. Jared Lucher chalked up a sack that helped put an end to the first series. In the second, Cody Butler and Lucher teamed up to stuff the runner for a 2-yard loss on a 3rd down play that forced a Lion punt. The final Lion possession of the half ended with 31 seconds remaining with a missed field goal attempt from the Oak 17-yard line. The drive, which ate up almost 6 minutes, showcased great defensive plays by Bryce Hudman, Eric Wendt, Ronny Perry and Robert Dorris. Dylan Dahmann contributed a sack for a 5-yard loss.

The 2nd half of the game started in what appeared to be a repeat of the 1st. Great pass defense by Nate Petross, a sack for a 5-yard loss by Dorris and great plays by Wendt and Dahmann forced the Lions to punt. However, in their next series, the Lions put up the first points of the game following a 44-yard drive to make the score 0-7. The Panthers were quick to answer back when Derrick Brown raced 79-yards for a touchdown on the second play the following series. Andy Yost put up the point after to tie the score 7-7 in the 3rd quarter.

Great defensive plays by Mike Colschen, Brandon Locke and Alex Bouchard forced the Lions to punt on their next possession. Following a 20 yard punt return by Petross, the Panthers began their final scoring drive of the night. The drive, which culminated in a 15-yard run by Brown, was aided by gains of 7 and 17 yards by running back Grant Campbell. The point after, however, was no good and the Lions got the window they needed to go ahead at the end of the game.

Brown led the rushing game for the night with a total of 159 yards, while Josh Keen led receiving with a pair for 23 yards. Slugging it out in the trenches were Kirk Elder, Aaron Hudman, Brandon Wilson, Seth Brodrick, John Wilson, Kurt Ware and Brian Carlson.

We love you Panthers! Keep your heads up and good luck next week!

Varsity Comes Up Short Against Forest 7 - 21

Friday Night at Klein Memorial Stadium the Panther Varsity faced off against the team that was probably their toughest opponent yet, the Klein Forest Eagles. The Eagles scored on the games’ first play and again with five minutes remaining in the 1st half to create the 14 point margin that remained at the end. The Panthers scored once in the 1st half and threatened on several other occasions but were unsuccessful at closing the gap.

The Panthers only scoring drive of the night was set up by a 65-yard run by Derrick Brown. Brown scored on an 8-yard run and Andy Yost tacked on the point after. In the 3rd quarter the Panthers brought out their passing attack and moved the ball quickly down the field on three completions that were good for a combined 69 yards. James Cooper hooked up with Kurt Ware on one good for 40 yards, while Brown connected with Josh Keen for 16 yards and Jon Sirman for 13 yards. The drive stalled at the Eagles’ 15 yard line and the attempted field goal was no good.

Several Panthers contributed to the defensive highlights for the night. Alex Bouchard had a 40 yard return on a pass interception to put an end to one Eagle drive. On another, Bryce Hudman stripped the ball away from an Eagle and Brandon Locke recovered the fumble. The Eagles were threatening on a possession in the 4th quarter but were stopped when Dylan Dahmann and Ronny Perry teamed up for a sack that resulted in a 12-yard loss. Cody Butler helped end another 4th quarter possession with a sack for a 7-yard loss. Michael Colschen had a stand out performance and Nate Petross, Jared Lucher, Bubba Hestand and Robert Dorris all contributed to the defensive efforts.

As usual, the Panthers offense was led by the attack of Brown, Keen, Cooper, Ware and Grant Campbell. Sirman was back at full speed, following a 4 game injury related absence, and gave the team an added weapon with his ability to run, pass and receive. In the trenches for the night were Kirk Elder, Aaron Hudman, John Wilson, Brandon Wilson, Seth Brodrick and Joe Fitch.

The game was part of a three day Homecoming celebration that kicked off Thursday night with a pep rally at the Oak stadium. The pep rally, complete with a parade of floats, was a great opportunity for the band, cheerleaders, drill team, stand leaders, former students and players and a large crowd of supporters to come out and show their appreciation for the team. Thanks to everyone for making the event such a success. During the half-time celebration of the game, the teams’ own Kenny Roberts was awarded Homecoming King. Congratulations Kenny!

Varsity Defeated by The Woodlands 3 - 38

Friday night at Buddy Moorhead Stadium the Panther Varsity suffered a tough loss to The Woodlands Highlanders. The Highlanders received the opening kick off and drove down to the Oak 31 yard line before turning the ball over on a fumble. The Panthers immediately gave the ball back on a fumble and the Highlanders were set up for their first touchdown of the night. The Panthers put on a good rush and blocked the point after to leave the score 0-6.

After the ensuing kick off the Panthers put together their only scoring drive of the night Playing on both sides of the ball for the night, Nate Petross had one run for 8 yards and Avery Johnson had several runs including one good for 10 yards and a first down. Mil Zeno hooked up with Kurt Ware on a 58-yard pass completion that landed the Panthers deep in Highlander territory. Andy Yost put the Panthers on the board with a field goal good from 19 yards out to make the score 3-6.

The Highlanders scored on each of their next three drives and with a lead of 25 points, kicked an onside kick and recovered at the Oak 45 yard line. Panther fans awarded the play the "unsportsmanlike" play of the night. The Panther defense accepted the challenge and held the Highlanders in check to close out the 1st half with the score 3-28.

The scoring action slowed down somewhat in the second half of the game. The Oak defense set up the best opportunity of the 2nd half when a host of Panthers joined in on a sack good for a 15 yard loss and recovered the resulting fumble. The offense set up at the Highlander 45 yard line and drove down to the 16 behind the running of Josh Keen and Zeno before the drive stalled on an unsuccessful 4th down attempt to make up some ground. The Highlanders were able to score on a touchdown and a field goal in the 2nd half to put the game out of reach for a final score of 3-38.

On offense, Johnson led rushing for the night with a total of 46 yards and Zeno led passing with 53 yards. The line for the night included Seth Brodrick, John Wilson, Kirk Elder, Aaron Hudman, Brandon Wilson and Brian Carlson.

Contributing to the defensive effort was Dylan Dahman, Jared Lucher, Bubba Hestand, Bryce Hudman, Ronny Perry, Alex Bouchard, Eric Wendt, Cody Butler, Michael Colschen, Tre Dortch, Jacob Kugler, Tor Cabungal, Brandon Locke and Nate Petross.

We love you Panthers! Good luck next week against Westfield.

Panther Varsity Defeats Conroe 33 – 7

Saturday afternoon the Panthers faced off against the Conroe Tigers in the mud bowl and came away with a convincing win as the offense and defense each did their part to put together a complete game.  The Panthers scored on five of their seven possessions with a pounding running attack, blocked a punt and held the Tigers to 23 net yards in the 1^st half.

The Panther defense created the first scoring opportunity when Dylan Dahmann recovered a blocked punt to set up the offense at the Tiger 20 yard line.  Two plays later, Derrick Brown scored from 13 yards out and also ran in the 2 point conversion to make the score 8-0 with 8:35 remaining in the 1^st quarter.

The defense set up the next scoring drive when Kurt Ware and Dahmann teamed up to stuff the Tigers on a 4^th and one attempt from their own 38 yard line.  This time it was Josh Keen’s turn as he ran it up the middle for 15 yards and a TD.  Brown added the 2 point conversion and the Panthers were in business 16-0.

On the following Tiger possession, Ware had a sack for a 13 yard loss that stopped the drive and forced a punt.  On the punt attempt, the Tiger punter touched his knee to the ground as he tried to retrieve a low snap and the Panthers gained possession at the Tiger 45 yard line.  Five plays later, Andy Yost’s 19 yard field goal attempt was good with 16 seconds remaining in the half and sent the Panthers to the locker room with a 19-0 halftime lead.

The Tigers began the 2^nd half with a 45 yard drive that ended on the Oak 17 yard line when the Panther defense stopped them on a 4^th down attempt. The Panthers then began an 11 play 83 yard scoring drive that culminated in 3 yard run by Bryce Hudman.  Yost added the point after to widen the lead to 26-0.

The following Tiger possession produced their only points of the night but it was a little too little, a little too late with 7:34 remaining in the game.  The Panthers ate up the next 5 minutes with their final scoring drive behind the running of Keen, Trey Richmond, Kenny Roberts, Jon Sirman and Avery Johnson.  Keen ran it in from 19 yards out and Yost tacked on the point after to make the score 33-7.

Ronny Perry’s sack for a 9 yard loss on a 4^th down attempt put an end to the Tigers last opportunity for the night. Also of note on the drive was Chris Finney’s caused fumble that the referee, in disagreement with the Panther fans, called an incomplete pass.

Leading rushers for the night were Brown (230 yards, 1TD), Keen (52 yards, 2 TDs) and Hudman (32 yards, 1 TD).  Sliding in the trenches and opening up holes big enough to drive a truck through were Kirk Elder, Brandon Wilson, Aaron Hudman, John Wilson, Seth Brodrick, Brian Carlson, Grant Campbell, Joe Fitch, Tristan Wright and Lindsey Cantrell. 

Topping production for the defense was Mike Colschen, Jared Lucher, Ware, Bryce Hudman, Jared Lucher, Nate Petross, Dahmann, Cody Butler, Perry, Bubba Hestand and Tre Dortch. 

As an additional note for the game, the Panthers only pass attempt was a beautiful 20 yard completion from Derrick Brown to ball boy Hunter Wilson that brought the crowd to its feet.

We love you Panthers! Let’s go get Klein.

Varsity Loses Nail-Biter Against Klein 6 - 14

Friday night at Klein Memorial Stadium, the Panthers faced off against their perennial rival the Klein Bearkats in a game that was close from start to finish. The defense held the Bearkats to a minus 2 yards on their first possession that included a sack by Kurt Ware for a 7-yard loss. The Panthers then began a 9 minute 68 yard marathon drive that featured the running attack of Derrick Brown, Trey Richmond and Josh Keen. Brown connected on a 14-yard pass to Brian Carlson that moved the Panthers in range for Andy Yost’s 29-yard field goal to lead the game 3-0.

The Bearkats came right back on the following series for a touchdown and point after to go ahead in the score 3-7. The Panthers were forced to punt on their next two possessions but the defense held off the Bearkats, stopping them on their last series of the half that included Dylan Dahmann and Ware teaming up on a sack for a 9-yard loss. The Panthers narrowed the score to 6-7 when Yost kicked a 42-yard field goal as time ran out in the 1st half.

The Bearkats began the 2nd half with a bang, scoring on a quick 70-yard drive less than two minutes into the 3rd quarter, widening the score to 6-14. The Panthers defense held off the Bearkats for the remainder of the half and the offense got the ball back with 3:51 remaining and a last chance to come back. The Panthers moved the ball well on pass completions of 16-yards from Brown to Ware and 30-yards from Mil Zeno to Ware. The Panthers attempted a final pass as time ran out but an interception ended their hopes.

For the offense, Brown led rushing with 101 yards followed by Richmond with 38 and Keen with 26. Ware led receiving with 2 for 46 yards. In the trenches for the night were Kirk Elder, Aaron Hudman, John Wilson, Brandon Wilson, Seth Brodrick and Joe Fitch.

Defensive highlights for the night were led by Michael Colschen, Cody Butler, Bryce Hudman, Ware, Nate Petross, Dahmann, Jared Lucher, Elder and Bubba Hestand.

We love you Panthers! Let’s wrap the season up with a win against Collins next week.