In battle of Panthers, Bruton cruises in shutout win over Charles City

Charles City’s Cristian Lizama (left) engages with Bruton’s Matthew Crum as he attempts to shed a block to make a tackle.

Robb Johnson photo

While many football programs continue to fold around the country and state due to low numbers, Charles City’s Panthers continue to fight the odds despite injuries and disciplinary issues to keep its team on the field. But sometimes the numbers game is too much, such the case in the “Battle of the Panthers” when Bruton visited Charles City on Sept. 29.

A fast start by Bruton coupled with miscues by Charles City resulted in a 42-0 shutout for the visitors, keeping Charles City winless on the season.

On Bruton’s first drive, Charles City forced the visitors into a fourth-and-one situation. But an offsides penalty allowed the visitors’ drive to continue. The result was an eight-yard touchdown run by William Corbin just over four minutes into the game to provide Bruton a 7-0 lead.

After a Charles City botched punt, Bruton drove the short field, with Corbin carrying it from five yards out to double the visitors’ lead. Just before the end of the quarter, Corbin made his third visit to the end zone, this time from 15 yards out to provide Bruton a comfortable 21-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

Charles City’s best effort to score came after Messiyah Greene scooped up an onside kick and returned it to the 10-yard line. But a few moments later, Greene coughed up the ball on an exchange, resulting in Bruton’s Trevor Sowers picking it up and returning it 92 yards for a touchdown and extending the visitor’s lead.

Charles City’s best offensive drive followed, as Mitchell Whitehead connected with brother Sherod Barnes on a screen play for 25 yards, taking the ball into Bruton’s red zone once again. But on fourth and one, Bruton held steady, forcing an incomplete pass. On the next series, it was Bruton quarterback Brandon Freeman who scampered 46 yards for a touchdown as the guests’ lead grew to 35-0 by the time halftime hit. From there, Bruton added one additional score to seal the final score in the game.

After the contest, Charles City Head Coach Sherod Jones first expressed displeasure on his team’s response to making mistakes.

“The attitudes have to go,” he said on his team’s issues when it came to execution. “They have to be able to listen, take constructive criticism, and go on to the next play. A mistake is a mistake, just don’t continue to make the same mistakes.”

As far as players on the field, Jones admitted the difficulties of rejuvenating a program with athletes who are first time players.

“It is tough starting the game with 13 players and finish with 11 when we are trying to rebuild a program with kids who have never played before,” the head coach added. “Right now, we are just looking at the effort and not the scoreboard.

“We are asking for them to play for the name on the front of the jersey and not the one on the back,” Jones continued. “We are just asking them to have school pride and hopefully we can have more guys in the future so they won’t have to play both ways. But right now, this is where we are.”

Charles City falls to 0-4 on the season.