Panthers dismantle West Point in 50-0 Senior Night victory

Charles City offensive lineman Michael Callahan (left) gets a carry on senior night as classmate Tyreek Bradley (56) engages in a block.

Andre' Jones photo

Charles City’s Panthers welcomed the visiting Pointers of West Point as part of Senior Night festivities. And while the eight seniors had their time to shine, it was big plays from junior quarterback Mason Jefferson that left the visiting Pointers breathless.

Jefferson accounted for six touchdowns for the hosts as Charles City blanked West Point 50-0 in the Nov. 6 season finale for both teams.

Charles City moved in front to stay at the 2:36 of the first quarter. Behind the offensive line of Charles City, Jefferson took a snap and kept the ball, scampering 77 yards for a quick 8-0 score. At the beginning quarter two, he duplicated the feat, dashing for 76 yards and touchdown number two. The junior quarter took to the air at the 9:28 mark, completing a 69-yard wheel route to Kyle Jones to push the Panther lead to 22-0. Less than two minutes later, he added another score on the ground with a 57-yard tote. The barrage of points finally ended just before the five-minute mark of the second quarter, as Jefferson connected with senior Brian Hicks on a 20-yard slant to give the hosts a 38-0 comfortable lead.

West Point struggled on offense for most of the night. Even when moving the ball, turnovers plagued the guests as Hicks would intercept two passes and senior Tyrus Allen would recover a fumble. Charles City added a touchdown via Jefferson’s completion to Cecil Tyler in the third and Tyler’s run in the fourth to round out the scoring. The game would be called in the fourth quarter due to a Pointer injury.

Charles City used big plays on the night, as Jefferson accumulated 239 rushing yards on just four carries.

“It was just one of those nights where everything clicked for us,” said Charles City head coach Steward Greene after the game. “We took care of a lot of the fundamental things that plagued us during the year such as blocking and tackling.”

The Charles City head coach also spoke about the impact his senior class has and the task of filling in gaps for the team. Seven of the eight seniors played either on the offensive or defensive line, something that Greene says has to be addressed in the upcoming season.

“Those seniors are not just guys, but they are phenomenal young men,” the head coach commented. “They have done a lot of things to help better this program and they are a very special group to me. I thank them for all the contributions they have made to this football team.

“With the group of skill players we have coming back, we should be a strong contender,” Greene continued. “The results in the win and loss column this year do not reflect how talented this group is.”

Charles City concludes the season on a three-game win streak, finishing at 3-7.

1st Quarter
CC (2:36)- Jefferson 77 yard run (Jefferson pass to Crawley) 8-0
2nd Quarter
CC (11:35)- Jefferson 76 yard run (pass fail) 14-0
CC (9:28)- Jefferson 69 pass to Jones (Jones pass to Hicks) 22-0
CC (7:27)- Jefferson 57 yard run (Jefferson pass to Jones) 30-0
CC (5:08)- Jefferson 20 yard pass to Hicks (Jefferson pass to Hicks) 38-0
3rd Quarter
CC (7:45)- Jefferson 9 yard pass to Tyler (pass fail) 44-0
4th Quarter
CC (8:32)- Tyler 4 yard run (pass fail) 50-0

Passing (completions/attempts/yards)
WP- Green 3/4/35, J. Lawson 1/4/1, 2 int.
CC- Jefferson 3/9/98, 3 TDs.

Receiving (receptions/yards)
WP- J. Lawson 2/34, T. Shaw 1/1, Green 1/1.
CC- Jones 1/69, 1 TD; Hicks 1/20, 1 TD; Tyler 1/9, 1 TD.

Rushing (attempts/yards)
WP- Green 11/44, J. Lawson 12/44, N. Lawson 8/23, M. Shaw 3/11, D. Jones 5/-3.
CC- Jefferson 4/239, 3 TD; Tyler 12/160, 1 TD; Bassatt 1/6, Bradley 1/2, Callahan 1/1, Jones 1/-6.