The Alba-Golden Panthers spotted the Como-Pickton Eagles 12 points at the outset of last Friday’s game at Como-Pickton. The Panthers had to work hard to turn the game around, and they did, recording a 20-12 win. 

The early Eagles lead came as a result of two big plays. In their first possession, Como-Pickton – almost exclusively a running team – connected for a big gain on a long pass completion. It put the ball on the Panthers’ 19-yard line. 

It took Como-Pickton eight plays to cross the goal line. With 3:51 to play in the first quarter, they took a 6-0 lead. 

Alba-Golden began the ensuing drive in Eagle territory and began to churn out yardage. Neither team relented control of the line of scrimmage. Each yard became a struggle. 

On the Como-Pickton 30-yard line, the Panthers put the ball on the ground, and the Eagles had the first turnover of the night. The very next play went for a 79-yard TD-run. The home side had built a quick 12-0 lead.

The opening play of the second quarter was one of those game-changing plays which cannot be foreseen.  

A punt snap sailed beyond the reach of the Como-Pickton punter. He retrieved the ball and turned to punt it away just as Panther Gavin Dailey arrived to make the tackle. Dailey spun him to the ground by the shoulders. The punter’s leg careened to the side and he punted the ball backward. Jerry Skinner cleanly fielded the errant kick and carried the ball down to the Eagle 8-yard line. 

Two plays later, Glen Hartley ran through the right side to the end zone. The Panthers had closed the score to 12-7. 

The second big play of the night occurred on the Eagles’ next snap. Alba-Golden had righted the ship and needed to shut down the Eagle offense. No sooner had the Eagle halfback received the first-down handoff than Panthers Jaxton Carver and Jason Langston crushed the running back. 

The Alba-Golden defense pushed the Eagles back and forced a punt. This defensive series set a new tenor to the entire game.

Just before the half, the Panthers put together a nice 11-play drive, with Easton Campbell scoring on a quarterback sneak. The two key aspects of the drive were a third-down completion from Campbell to Luke Sutton for a critical first-down and the relentlessly-aggressive running of Panther halfbacks Hartley and Donald McVay.

The 2-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, and the teams went to the break with Alba-Golden leading 13-12. 

Alba-Golden came out with renewed purpose in the second half. They stripped the ball from an Eagle running back to create a turnover to open the half. A 13-play drive followed which combined hard yardage on the ground with two of the best-executed completions of the night. 

Hartley eventually scored on a fourth-and-goal run from three yards. Langston kicked the extra point, and the score became 20-12. 

It was the Panther defense which preserved the win. Twice, late in the game, the Eagles were deep in Panther territory. Both times they were turned away. 

A combined sack of the Como-Pickton quarterback by Wyatt Sutton, Skinner and Dailey turned the ball over on downs at the Panther 5-yard line. Two possessions later, it was pressure on the Eagle quarterback from Sutton which forced a second turnover on downs near the Panther goal line.   

Como-Pickton had one last chance to close the score, taking possession of the ball with 2:45 to play. Cameron Lennon – a stand-out performer in the game – ended that threat with a well-timed interception. 

The Panthers ran out the remaining time and headed home with their second district win of the year.   Alba-Golden hosts Cooper this Friday in the final regular season game.