Second half meltdown dooms Panthers as King William rallies for 38-30 win

Cavaliers' linebacker William Roux (3) goes on a ride courtesy of the power running by Panther ball carrier Cecil Tyler (2).

Andre' Jones photo

Charles City’s Panthers invaded King William in an effort to spoil the Cavaliers homecoming festivities and end a 34-game district win streak. And for two-and-a-half quarters it seemed that would happen.

But the homestanding Cavaliers reeled off the final 23 points of the Oct. 7 contest and withstood a final hail mary attempt by the Panthers to hold on for a 38-30 victory.

After a scoreless first quarter, the visiting Panthers reached into their deep bag of tricks. Junior signal-caller Craig Jones took over the duties for starting quarterback Mason Jefferson, who repositioned himself in the backfield. Jones pitched the ball to Jefferson, drawing the attention of the defense. But Jefferson would halt his momentum and launch the ball down the field 49 yards to a wide open Kyle Jones for the score. Jefferson would connect with Justin Thomas to give the visitors an 8-0 lead.

King William recovered, marching down the field 70 yards and punctuating the drive with Brenon Sawdy’s eight-yard scamper. A conversion run by quarterback Jeffrey Huffman tied the score at eight apiece.

But on the ensuing kickoff, Charles City’s Thomas elusive speed proved to be too be too much for the Cavaliers, scampering 90 yards on the return for a score and giving the Panthers a 16-8 lead. On King William’s next drive, running back Gilbert Holmes would be stripped by Kyle Jones, who would take the ball and return it 70 yards for the score to give the Panthers a 16-point advantage (24-8). King William made amends before the half, forcing a short punt by the Panthers deep in their own territory to the 27-yard line. Huffman took to the air, connecting with receiver John Williams from 17 yards out and narrowing the margin to nine (24-15) at the intermission break.

After Charles City stopped King William’s opening drive, Jefferson reoccupied the role of running back. His first tote netted a 20-yard scamper to the left side, only to be followed by a 40-yard dash to the end zone, doubling up the lead for the Panthers (30-15).

King William’s defense began ramping up pressure on the Panthers’ backfield, being able to bring down Jefferson for nearly the remainder of the game. Just before the eight-minute mark, Cavaliers’ signal-caller Huffman called his own number for a 22-yard touchdown run to reduce the lead to seven (30-23). The next drive saw the Panthers punt, resulting in the home team orchestrating a 12-play, 58-yard drive capped off with Sawdy’s second touchdown carry on the night. Huffman’s conversion run gave the hosts their first lead of the night at 31-30. King William recovered an onside kick and moved the ball down the field before Huffman’s pass was intercepted deep in Panther territory by defensive back Robert Dobson.

As the Panthers switched ends to start the fourth quarter, running back Cecil Tyler fumbled at the 13-yard line, with Sawdy recovering the pigskin. Three plays later, Huffman’s quarterback sneak would increase the Panther deficit to eight (38-30).

After exchanging possessions, Charles City regained the ball with 2:25 remaining on the clock and no timeouts. Starting at their own 14, the Panthers meticulously moved the ball down the field. A pass interference call against the Cavaliers pushed the ball to the 39-yard line. Jefferson added tosses to Thomas and Kyle Jones, moving the ball down to the Cavaliers’ 25-yard line. With six second on the clock and after a Panthers false start, Jefferson launched the ball in a hail mary effort to the end zone. The pass ended up in the hands of Cavalier safety Luke Slaughter, sealing the win for the home team and sending the Panthers to their third straight loss by a single score.

After the contest, Panthers head coach Steward Greene spoke about the second half downfall.

“We just didn’t finish,” said the disappointed head coach. “After that onside kick and offensive fumble, the wind came out of their sails.

“Tonight we suffered a mental breakdown,” Greene continued. “This team has to understand that getting beat on one or two plays isn’t the end of the game. They have to rise up and accept the challenge.”

Charles City falls to 1-5 on the season.

2nd Quarter
CC (10:30)- Jefferson 49 yard pass to K. Jones (Jefferson to Thomas pass) 8-0
KW (7:28)- Sawdy 8 yard run (Huffman run) 8-8
CC (7:09)- Thomas 90 yard kickoff return (Tyler run) 16-8
CC (4:52)- K. Jones 70 yard fumble return (Tyler run) 24-8
KW (1:18)- Huffman 17 yard pass to Williams (Dandridge kick) 24-15
3rd Quarter
CC (10:49)- Jefferson 40 yard run (run fail) 30-15
KW (8:17)- Huffman 23 yard run (Jennings run) 30-23
KW (1:48)- Sawdy 7 yard run (Huffman run) 31-30
4th Quarter
KW (11:10)- Huffman 1 yard run (Dandridge kick) 38-30

Passing (completions/attempts/yards)
CC- Jefferson 10/20/112, 1 TD, 2 int.
KW- Huffman 15/28/107, 1 TD, 2 int.

Receiving (receptions/yards)
CC- K. Jones 3/60, 1 TD; Tyler 2/29, Thomas 5/23.
KW- Dandridge 2/44, Williams 4/30, 1 TD; Holmes 6/21, Cunliffe 1/9, Stewart 2/3.

Rushing (attempts/yards)
CC- Jefferson 26/95, 1 TD; Tyler 11/22, K. Jones 1/-4.
KW- Sawdy 23/145, 2 TD; Huffman 16/93, 2 TD; Holmes 10/29, Stewart 1/2.