The Alba-Golden Panthers suffered a tough loss, 12-8, at Union Grove’s Glyn Johnston Stadium in an especially physical and emotional game. The Panthers had several opportunities to capture the win but were unable to consistently execute. 

Alba-Golden opened the game with no energy. It was a very uncommon circumstance for a team which normally has the engine revved-up from the initial whistle. 

Covering an early punt was indicative of the lack of focus. A number of Panthers had the opportunity to chase down a punt which was bouncing slowly toward the end zone. The opportunity to force the Lions to start from their goal line would be huge in this game. It was as if the team just forgot how to play at times during the first half. The ball rolled into the end zone for a touchback.

Throughout the game there were amazing individual performances. Ryan Jackson was a stalwart. He made several bone-crunching tackles and recorded the two hardest runs of the night. He was joined by Ethan Salinas, Caleb Anderson and Jerry Skinner with notable defensive performances. 

Offensively, the Panthers punted on their first three possessions. Alba-Golden could simply not produce consistently. One or two productive offensive plays were almost always followed by a negative play.

Union Grove had one long drive on the night, a 76-yard scoring drive midway through the first half. They made use of the quarterback option to attack the edges. 

After getting the running game established, a beautiful throw from quarterback Blake Weissert to Boedy Baker on a go route put the ball on the Lion’s 20-yard line. A counter play ran the ball down to the 4-yard line with 27 seconds remaining in the half.

Alba-Golden got two plays off in the last seconds: a one-yard gain and a fumbled snap. While setting up for their last attempt to get into the end zone, time expired.

The second half was raucous. Emotions ran high, and in the heavy humidity, the physical game had a brutal edge. The Panthers gave up a long scoring pass after a turnover to go down 12-0, early in the half, but kept the Lions bottled up for the remainder of the game. 

The Panthers put together an efficient 57-yard scoring drive early in the fourth quarter.  A Weissert-to-Hunter Wright pass completion for 30 yards highlighted the drive. Baker scored over the left side from seven yards out. He then took a direct snap and raced to the left boundary untouched for the 2-point conversion.

The Panthers had all the momentum. After regaining possession, Jackson rambled through the Lions defense for 33 yards on the best run of the night. A dropped snap and a sack ended the drive.

Alba-Golden had one more chance, taking possession with 2:48 on the clock. They drove the ball to the Lion’s 30-yard line before a sack and an interception ended their hopes.

A change to the district schedule puts the Panthers in Wolfe City for their initial district match-up Friday.  Although the team stands with a 1-2 record, anyone who has watched the Panthers this season recognizes just how close they are to contending for a district championship.