Newspaper Page Text
10B
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2007
PANTHERS
From page jB
progress with a right hook or
flat out knocked themselves
senseless with an uppercut.
As Scott said, it should
never have come down to him
having to carry the weight
of the team on his southpaw
leg.
All told, Perry lost a fumble
and gave it up via an intercep
tion in the first half and then
coughed it up twice - losing
one of those - in the second
half, and with yet another
interception.
The game itself started out
as if scripted for the visitors.
The Panthers won the coin
toss, deferred to the second
half so the Trojans could see a
bit of their vaunted defense.
It worked. Brandon Smith’s
big stop on a third-and-five
silenced the home crowd -
which boasted its 574 points
scored up until that point on
its banner - a bit, and more
importantly, forced North
Clayton to' punt.
Perry took it on its own
25 and then commenced to
reel off eight plays - one of
those being a 38-yard run by
Jacorey Lane, who finished
with 133 yards rushing - that
put the ball on the Trojans’
22. The drive took a hit when
the offense moved and was
penalized. That was in turn
followed by two runs that
netted all of two yards and
a pass to Akeen Felder that
was broken up in the end
zone. And that brought on
Freeman who put it through
uprights to put the Panthers
up 3-0 - with 6:18 to go in the
quarter.
A 50-yard touchdown run
by Dylon Wolf - that following
three runs and a pass - two
first downs total - enabled
North Clayton to jump on top
on its very next possession.
The good news in that, and
in the end it turned out to be
“necessary” news - was that
Kanorris Davis blocked the
PAT. Then on the Trojans’
touchdown later, he did it
again. Needless to say, if he
hadn’t Perry would never
have had a chance to win on
a field goal, anyway.
The Panthers’ second pos
session of the evening car
ried things into the second
quarter. They started on their
own 20 and ended eight plays
later on the Trojans’ 42 with
a punt. In between, a literal
shoestring tackle on Lane
probably saved a touchdown.
North Clayton took over on
.its own 17, and after picking
!up a pair of first downs was
! forced to punt, again. Or, so it
!appeared.
! The Trojans instead resort
<ed to cleverness. The ball
jwas snapped to Hunter Wolf
*- Dylon Wolfs twin brother
j- instead. He initially ran it
| down inside the 10, but a hold
; brought it back out to the 21.
; That only delayed what was
;to come, however, as Hunter
; Wolf got the call again - back
; to-back-back Perry/North
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Bill Freeman connects on a 28-yard field goal.
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Clayton timeouts made it
interesting - and ran it in
from seven yards out.
Again, Davis rejected the
PAT.
Now, with the score 12-3
and with just over five min
utes before the half, begins
the shadowboxing era.
The Panthers, following the
kickoff, started on their own
21. They then, on three plays,
took it to the Trojans’ 3. A
false start set them back to
the 8 and on the next play
the ball was fumbled over to
North Clayton.
It was a far cry from being
as good as a touchdown,
but the defense held, forc
ing three plays and a punt
- from the back of their own
endzone to boot. Perry then
took over on the Trojans’ 38.
Hayward completed a pass to
J.R. Lasseter - tipped by the
defender but he never gave
up on it - that put it on the 9.
Another false start moved it
out to the 15 before Hayward,
who first had to overcome a
very high snap and then the
rush, threw an interception
into the middle of the end
zone.
That came with less than
a minute before the break.
The Trojans ran out the clock
from there.
The first play of the third
quarter gave the impression
the Panthers were through
beating themselves up, and
in fact, it should be noted
- despite events - they were
clearly the more determined
bunch most of the night.
Hayward, on special teams,
took the kickoff from his own
endzone and ran it all the way
to North Clayton’s 41. But
on the first play from scrim
mage, it happened again. The
ball squirmed loose and again
it was turned over.
The Trojans drove a bit
from there, but on fourth
and-four from the 20, Perry
held. The Panthers took over
on the 18 but we’re still not
done folks. They still had the
gloves off but they were still
aiming at their own chin.
They moved it to the 38
before Hayward was inter
cepted again. It should also be
noted at this point that yes,
Hayward threw two intercep
tions. But, some of the things
he did on the field - like rush
ing for 106 yards, throwing
for 168 and more importantly,
making things happen when
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Band members celebrate following Perry’s score.
there was nothing there to
happen to begin with - far
outweighed both.
The good news was as
before. The defense, which
by this time had really begun
to assert itself, forced the
Trojans to punt again follow
ing a three-and-out.
“The defense did a great
job,” said Scott. “Our defense
has taken a backseat to our
offense during these playoffs,
but our defense has continued
to do good things. They’re
a good defense - not good
enough to win tonight, how
ever.”
Probably because they felt
eventually the offense was
going to get it right. But they
still had one more turnover
to get out of their system.
This one came on the North
Clayton 48, following a drive
that started on their own
6 and went 12 plays. They
didn’t lose it but it served its
purpose: forced a punt.
Finally, after forcing the
Trojans to punt again - and
by then early into the fourth
quarter, Perry acknowledged
the bell had rung for the final
round. It was now or never.
The Panthers took the ball
on their own 30 and went the
distance. Hayward hit three
passes along the way. The last
of those was 14 yards to Trey
Smith for the score.
Freeman’s PAT made it 12-
10 with 7:11 to play.
North Clayton then set out
to run out the clock but after
picking up a couple of first
downs were far from success
ful. They punted with 4:28
left to play.
With the ball being on the
Perry half of the field, it was
a good one, settling in on the
18. Hayward ran it to the 31
for a first down on the first
play. Then he hit Smith with
a rifle for six more. Then he
called his own number again
- or got it called - but gained
little. That is until a facemask
penalty was tacked on. That
put it on the 49. A pass to
Felder put it on the 45 of the
Trojans. Hayward again ran
- twice, over the course of the
next two plays - to push it to
the 35. Then he hit Felder at
the 28 and ran it to the 20.
He spiked the ball to stop the
clock with 44 seconds, then
when play returned was run
out of bounds at the 22.
A false start pushed it back
to the 27. And it was there
SPORTS
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Journal/Don Moncrief
Panther defenders close in on North Hall’s signal caller Friday in Gainesville.
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Panther quarterback Casey Hayward hands off to Jacorey Lane (22) as Brandon Golden
looks to lead the charge.
the Panthers, a team that ciaU y something like this.”
had accomplished more than
any other in school history,
a team that had known the
thrill - more than once - of
snatching victory out of the
jaws of defeat, missed.
“It’s been a good year,”
Scott said, his voice at that
time filled with exhaustion
and enough regret to fill the
Georgia Dome he so longed
to visit. “It’s just where you
don’t want it to end ... espe-
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Nicholas Krissmas
April 5. 2007
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