Momentum shift carries Panthers over Pointers, into playoffs

West Point running back Tyler Adkins can't escape the grasp of Panther tackler Michael Callahan (55) despite assistance from teammate Griff Lee.

Andre' Jones photo

When Charles City running back Jaquane Wyatt plunged into the end zone at the conclusion of the first half to put the visiting Panthers ahead 14-13 against the home-standing West Point Pointers, Panthers head coach Steward Greene said that his team played the best two seconds they have all year. If those two seconds made Greene happy, then the following 12 minutes in the third quarter made him ecstatic.

The Panthers exposed West Point’s run defense and scored three rushing touchdowns to start the second half on their way to a 39-27 Nov. 7 victory in the regular season finale.

With both teams playing evenly in the first half, Charles City trailed 13-7 with two seconds remaining on the clock before the intermission. With no timeouts, Wyatt followed a strong push from the offensive line and scored, giving the hosts a one-point lead.

That momentum followed Charles City coming out of the break. Kyle Jones returned the opening kickoff 42 yards into Pointer territory. A 13-yard run by Mason Jefferson and a seven yard run by quarterback Troy Crawley set up Jaquane Wyatt’s third rushing touchdown for the night.

After the visitors’ defense forced a turnover on downs, it was sophomore running back Cecil Tyler carrying the load, literally. On the first play from scrimmage, Tyler went up the middle and broke three West Point tackles. With only Pointer defender Chase Stewart blocking his path, Tyler stiff armed and drove him 20 additional yards down the field before finally being brought down at the two-yard line. Tyler was rewarded for his run with the next carry to plunge into the end zone, allowing the Panthers to double up the hosts on the scoreboard (26-13).

Still in the third quarter, Charles City’s next offensive series saw Wyatt take a direct snap and dash 35 yards for his fourth score of the night (33-13). Charles City’s defense stepped up, with Jones recovering a fumble just before the end of the third quarter. The result led to Wyatt’s fifth scoring scamper on the ground shortly after the transition into the fourth quarter and a 39-13 Panther lead. West Point would add two late scores, but the outcome was no longer in doubt with the Panthers coming out on top.

After the game, Greene said the score before halftime became a key motivational tool for his players.

“When they saw that they could compete with these guys, I told them to snatch the momentum,” said Greene. “We got West Point on their heels at the end of the half and we just rode the wave.

“Now, we go into the second season,” concluded the head coach.

That second season is a postseason appearance for the 4-6 Panthers. As of Friday night, unofficial pairings have the 14-seeded Panthers traveling to third-seeded Washington & Lee Eagles. Official pairings are expected to be released Monday night.

Charles City 0 14 19 6 39
West Point 7 6 0 14 27

1st Quarter
WP (0:51) Allen 1 yard run (Matthews kick) 7-0
2nd Quarter
CC (9:02) Wyatt 13 yard run (C. Jones kick) 7-7
WP (6:21) Allen 15 yard run (kick fail) 13-7
CC (0:00) Wyatt 1 yard run (C. Jones kick) 14-13
3rd Quarter
CC (9:27) Wyatt 4 yard run (kick fail) 20-13
CC (7:10) Tyler 2 yard run (pass fail) 26-13
CC (3:51) Wyatt 35 yard run (C. Jones kick) 33-13
4th Quarter
CC (11:53) Wyatt 3 yard run (kick fail) 39-13
WP (10:24) Adkins 7 yard run (run fail) 39-19
WP (4:41) Green 1 yard run (Adkins run) 39-27

Rushing (attempts/yards)
CC- Wyatt 23/151, Crawley 11/110, Tyler 9/59, Jefferson 8/9, Gordon 1/-7
WP- Allen 30/252, Adkins 19/56, Jones 3/13, Green 1/1

Passing (completions/attempts/yards)
CC- Crawley 6/13/115
WP- Allen 2/5/10, Adkins 1/1/7, Ellis 0/2/0, 1 int.; Stewart 0/2/0

Receiving (receptions/yards)
CC- Tyler 3/78, Jefferson 2/20, Hicks 1/17
WP- Stewart 1/10, Green 1/7