French Camp football coach Nathan Wright said he set up his schedule to get this team prepared for division football play.
That non-division schedule paid off for the Panthers as they took a 21-7 win over Hamilton to open division play last week.
The Panthers are now 1-3 on the season and will host rival Ethel this week in another Region 3-1A contest.
Despite the outcome, Wright said the game was one of the worst the Panthers have played this season.
“I felt like we played our worst game. We are getting better and better on defense and that kind of saved us,” Wright said. “One thing we haven’t had a problem with is turnover and we had five of those. I thought we did what we wanted on offense and would get down the field and turn the ball over. In many ways, we looked really good on offense and that’s something you can be proud of. You are looking at a game that could have easily been really lopsided, but we let the other team stay in by giving them ball. The defense really responded and played for each other to pull it out.”
The Panthers got the ball to start the game and were forced to punt, the only time the Panthers punted.
“That first drive was the only time we punted all night,” Wright said. “As for them, it was the same story all night. They never did anything. As for us, we would get the ball and drive it down and get down in the red zone and would fumble. It was really frustrating.”
The score stayed at 0-0 until right before the half when Silas Hodge scored on a 7-yard run with 23 seconds left in the half. Rob Surrette kicked the PAT and French Camp led 7-0 at the half.
“I thought we had a good two-minute drill and were able to finish the half strong,” Wright said. “After we had moved the ball well, it was good to go get a score before the half. It was significant for us and a good confidence boast. We knew we were moving up and down the field but not scoring and that gets in your head. We had to remind ourselves that we can finish a drive.”
The Panthers got the ball to start the second half and scored on a 30-yard pass from Cody Perry to Ethan Wright. Surrette kicked the PAT and the Panthers led 14-0.
The Panthers then committed two straight turnovers when Ethan Wright fumbled in the red zone. On their next possession, Perry overthrew a pass, and the Lions returned an interception for a 65-yard touchdown to make the game 14-7.
“We were driving and if we scored when it was 14-0, I felt like we would have put them away,” Wright said. “I felt like if we had scored there, the game would have been over with the way we were playing on defense. Then we throw an interception and it’s 14-7. We were dominating the game but all of a sudden, it’s 14-7 and it’s a game. I told them there was no doubt that we would win if we didn’t give the game away.”
The Panthers’ last points came on a late score from Hodge, giving the sophomore his second touchdown of the night.
French Camp had 181 yards rushing and 117 passing for 298 yards of total offense. Perry was 8-of-12 passing for 117 yards and rushed for 15 yards on three carries. Hodge had 142 yards rushing on 19 carries.
Wright had 76 yards receiving on three catches and Surrette had 38 yards receiving on three catches.
On defense, Landon Rushing had eight solo tackles and four assists while Wright had five solo tackles and six assists. Surrette and Perry each had four solo tackles and two assists while Abu Sillah and J.D. Leach each had three solo tackles and two assists.
“The defense kept playing well and kept us in the game,” Wright said. “We managed to overcome those five turnovers. I was proud of the way they played and were able to maintain their composure despite all of the turnovers. The offense kept putting them in bad spots, but they kept on getting stops.”
This week’s game
The Panthers will be at home this week as they host rival Ethel on Friday night.
After missing the start of the season due to COVID, the Tigers have now won two in a row, beating East Rankin 43-0 and Leake County 38-6.
“It’s a big game, no doubt,” Wright said. “They are on a winning streak and playing well right now. I know that we play them in junior high last year and have beat us pretty good. I know they have athletes and I think that Coach (Adam) Smith has a good discipline system and is doing something right. Hopefully we can get a good game plan to stop them. One thing we have to do is work on ball security.”
