By JORDAN SMITH
Sports editor
Following Varsity football’s narrow victory against Campbell Hall on Friday, the Panthers returned to North Hollywood on Saturday where the JV football team met the Vikings in their season opener. From the opening kickoff, the teams appeared to be equally matched, suggesting that the game would likely be a close one. Neither team seemed to show the slightest edge over the other during the initial back and forth drives and stops, that is until the Viking tailback slipped through Panther defenders in the 2nd quarter to take the ball 70 yards for the first touchdown of the game. As the two teams retired to their locker rooms at the conclusion of the first half, the score stood at a 7-0 Campbell Hall lead, as the Panthers had been unable to successfully deliver a retaliatory blow to the Vikings defense in the 2nd quarter.
That blow, however, did come just seconds into the 2nd half of the game. The Panther’s, returning a Campbell Hall kickoff, managed to open up enough of a seam for Sophomore Matt Capehart to weave through the Viking kickoff team and score the Panthers’ first touchdown of the game. With the score tied and Poly fueled by the momentum of the first touchdown of their season, a 24-minute melee ensued throughout the 2nd half, each team trying desperately to gain the lead as seconds flew off the scoreboard. As the end of the game approached, the ball moved from one side of the field to the other several times. Freshman quarterback Jonas Campbell hit several passes on various offensive drives, getting the Panthers within scoring range multiple times, yet the Viking defense proved to be somewhat impenetrable each time the ball neared the goal line. Defensively, Poly was equally adamantine with linebackers Brad Olson (Freshman), Jordan Pinsky (Sophomore), and Kevin Fohrer (Sophomore) each making several key tackles throughout the half, keeping Campbell Hall out of the end zone for 23 minutes out of the 24-minute half.
With less than a minute to go in the game and each team feeling the insurmountable exhaustion that is a football game, Campbell Hall managed to punch in a last-second touchdown and hit the ensuing point-after, putting the Vikings up 14-7, a lead that would persist as the game-clock expired. Despite this narrow defeat, it is clear that much can be expected from this balanced group of sophomores and freshmen. The team will meet Marshall Fundamental this Saturday at 10:00 am in what Freshman Brad Olson promises will be an exciting game. Says Olson, “Get your popcorn ready.”
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