Nightmare of third quarter dooms Panthers, Sussex rolls 44-6

Charles City defensive back Kyle Jones (right) pulls down Sussex Central wide receiver Tyrese Hill, causing a fumble as teammate Mason Jefferson (4) comes in to aid. Charles City would recover the fumble.

Andre' Jones photo

Despite executing poorly on the offensive end and failing to take advantage of miscues by the visiting Sussex Central Tigers, Charles City’s Panthers found themselves down 6-0 at halftime. But a kickoff return for a touchdown by the visitors to begin the second half of play turned what was a close game into a nightmare of a third quarter for the Panthers.

Sussex Central scored 30 points in the third quarter as the visitors prevented Charles City’s first win of the year with a 44-6 thumping in the Sept. 11 non-district contest.

Both teams battled back and forth in the first half of play, with neither gaining an advantage. And while Sussex dominated the offensive stats, they also led the turnover column committing two key fumbles that ended drives. Meanwhile, the Panthers never seemed to be out of the game. Even with Sussex’s lone score in the first half aided by a Panther personal foul, the hosts managed to stay within striking distance.

But the beginning of quarter three turned out to be one that haunted the hosts. On the opening kickoff, Tiger return man Amari Hill fielded the ball and was able to break several Panther tackles to return the ball 66 yards for a score. After Charles City failed to capitalize on another lost fumble by Sussex, the visitors made them pay as quarterback Malik Delk would run the ball in for another touchdown to up the score to 20-0.

On the Panthers next possession, quarterback Troy Crawley would be intercepted by Tiger defensive back Marvin Robinson. Three plays later, Trevon Hatch would tote the ball in for his second of three rushing touchdowns of the night.

Charles City’s best offensive drive commenced on the next series, as Crawley connected with senior wideout Brian Hicks on consecutive completions for a total of 39 yards. Inside the 20-yard line and threatening to score, an errant pass by the Panthers quarterback found Robinson once again. Robinson would follow a convoy of teammates and take the ball 86 yards for another Tiger touchdown to give the guests a comfortable 36-0 lead heading into the final quarter.

Charles City’s lone bright spot came with just over seven minutes remaining in the contest, as defensive back Kyle Jones would scoop and score a fumble by the Tigers quarterback and return it 83 yards for a touchdown. Sussex counter-punched with Hatch’s third rushing touchdown of the night to make the final margin 44-6.

After the game, Charles City head coach Steward Greene could only shake his head after the outcome of the game.

“We had a fighting chance in this game and we were only down by six at the half,” said the frustrated coach. “We have got to get a mental toughness and not let big plays take us out the mindset of the game.”

Not aiding Greene’s efforts was the lack of offensive firepower from the Panthers. The team finished on the negative side in the rushing column and failed to convert three Sussex turnovers and three trips into the red zone for scores.

“I have a bunch of talent, but it is getting wasted when we don’t execute as one mindset,” Greene continued. “We are going to have to right this ship and we have to get it turned around quickly.”

2nd Quarter
S (5:22)- Hatch 11 yard run (run fail) 6-0
3rd Quarter
S (11:48)- Hill 66 yard kickoff return (run fail) 12-0
S (7:00)- Delk 12 yard run (Hatch run) 20-0
S (5:28)- Hatch 11 yard run (Motton run) 28-0
S (3:12)- Robinson 86 yard interception return (Hill pass from Delk) 36-0
4th Quarter
CC (7:03)- K. Jones 83 yard fumble return (kick fail) 36-6
S (5:33)- Hatch 9 yard run (Delk run) 44-6

Passing (completions/attempts/yards)
S- Delk 4/7/19.
CC- Crawley 4/22/53, 2 INT.; Bowman 0/1/0.

Receiving (receptions/yards)
S- Rose 2/16, Hill 1/3, Edmond 1/0.
CC- Hicks 2/39, K. Jones 1/8, Tyler 1/6.

Rushing (attempts/yards)
S- Motton 14/137, Delk 17/62, 1 TD; Hatch 8/61, 3 TD; Hill 3/17, White 2/-3.
CC- Tyler 8/15, Bowman 1/7, C. Jones 1/2, Jefferson 5/-2, K. Jones 2/-12, Crawley 9/-29.