The Alba-Golden Panthers ended their football season at Como-Pickton last Friday night, falling to the Eagles 57-14. 

The Panthers finished with the same record as last season, 1-9 overall and 0-6 in district play. The Panthers were placed in a Class 2A Division I district with state-ranked powerhouses Carlisle and Frankston, along with an excellent Hawkins squad headed for the postseason. 

The Eagles came to play as they raced to a 30-point lead by halftime and held the Panthers to just 14 points. The Eagle defense did a good job of holding the Panther offense in check throughout the night. 

The Panthers will graduate a dozen seniors this year but also had several underclassmen playing large roles on the team. 

“This group of seniors did a great job of leading our younger players. They have built a great foundation for the younger players to follow,” head coach Drew Webster said. 

The season started with a close 20-6 loss at Linden-Kildare, but the Panthers came back in the second game to take a 34-8 win over Detroit. A 22-6 loss to Maud was next, followed by a heartbreaking 26-24 loss to Cushing. 

The Panthers opened district play against Kerens, where a couple of late big plays by the Bobcats spelled defeat for Alba-Golden. The Panthers then fell to Frankston, Cayuga, Carlisle, Hawkins and Como-Pickton to finish the season. 

Senior quarterback Brett Sutton had a banner year with 1,387 yards rushing and another 1,078 yards passing. His leading receiver was Cason Boyd with 658 yards, averaging just over 18 yards per reception. Senior Sam Leddy added another 413 yards on the ground.