Panthers punish Pointers to earn playoff berth

Not even a gang tackle by West Point's Jared Lawson (12) and Noah Lawson (back) can slow down Charles City's Cecil Tyler (2) as teammates Richard Adkins (51) and Troy Crawley (7) provide additional escort for the back.

Andre' Jones photo

It took the Charles City Panthers the entire opening quarter to get going during a Nov. 4 matchup at West Point. But once the visiting Panthers did, there was no slowing down.

Powered by a 20-point outburst in the second quarter, the Charles City Panthers disposed of the host Pointers 48-14 to close out the regular season.

But the ending of this game didn’t mean the Panthers would be taking a break. With losses by both Lancaster and Surry County, Charles City earned a playoff berth next week.

“This team is really excited about the way we have played these last five weeks,” said Panthers head coach Steward Greene. “This group right here did what they had to do and now, they get to go to a spot where only a few prestigious teams receive the opportunity to participate in.”

The visiting Panthers struggled early on. A ploy by West Point allowed the hosts to hold the ball for nine of the possible 12 minutes in the first quarter. The Pointers also stopped the Panthers from scoring, thwarting a screen attempt on fourth and 10.

But the second stanza blossomed into an outpouring of points for Charles City. At the 8:30 mark, Panther signal-caller Mason Jefferson took a direct snap from the shotgun position and found himself clogged behind the line. Instead of turning inward, the shifty quarterback bounced outside and down the West Point sideline for a 53-yard score to give the visitors a 6-0 advantage.

After the hosts were forced into a three-and-out on the next possession, Charles City took over at their own 32-yard line. A handoff to running back Cecil Tyler allowed him to turn the corner in front of the Panthers’ bench. As he saw the first-down marker, the running back literally plowed over West Point defensive back Josiah Lawson, maintaining his balance and trotting 68 yards for the Panthers second score. The visitors regained possession one more time and orchestrated a scoring drive to close out the half, culminating in a Jefferson to Troy Crawley 22-yard toss and a 20-0 lead for the Panthers.

Jefferson returned to the ground game after intermission, scampering 15 yards for a score and increasing Charles City’s advantage to 26 (26-0). West Point quarterback Lopear Burrell hooked up with Delonne McCray Jr. on a four-yard strike to put the hosts on the board, but the quick-strike Panthers answered two minutes later with another touchdown scamper by Jefferson. Touchdown runs by Tyler and Justin Thomas in the fourth quarter sandwiched a Burrell score to account for the final points in the contest.

Currently, the Panthers are scheduled to travel to Franklin this Friday (Nov. 11). Franklin edged the Panthers in the regular season contest 30-22.

“Right now we are going to do a job and no matter who we play, we are going to make the best of this opportunity,” said Greene. “I think this team, especially the seniors, have been so hungry to play one more game and they got that wish. Now it’s up to them to decide how far they want to go.”

Charles City closes out the regular season with an even record at 5-5.

2nd Quarter
CC (8:31)- Jefferson 53 yard run (pass fail) 6-0
CC (6:52)- Tyler 68 yard run (run fail) 12-0
CC (1:42)- Jefferson 22 yard pass to Crawley (Jefferson pass to Thomas) 20-0
3rd Quarter
CC (9:34)- Jefferson 15 yard run (pass fail) 26-0
WP (6:44)- Burrell 4 yard pass to McCray (Burrell run) 26-8
CC (4:18)- Jefferson 4 yard run (run fail) 32-8
4th Quarter
CC (8:50)- Tyler 5 yard run (Jefferson pass to K. Jones) 40-8
WP (5:01)- Burrell 15 yard run (run fail) 40-14
CC (3:08)- Thomas 8 yard run (K. Jones run) 48-14

Passing (completions/attempts/yards)
CC- Jefferson 6/10/108, 1 TD.
WP- Burrell 13/25/129, 1 TD, 2 int.; Greene 0/1/0.

Receiving (receptions/yards)
CC- Tyler 3/51, Thomas 1/26, Crawley 1/22, 1 TD; K. Jones 1/9.
WP- Ja. Lawson 3/46, Greene 4/33, McCray 2/17, 1 TD; Krout 1/12, Claire 1/11, Rowe 1/5, Shaw 1/5.

Rushing (attempts/yards)
CC- Tyler 14/160, 2 TD; Jefferson 13/107, 3 TD; Thomas 2/9, 1 TD.
WP- Burrell 16/98, 1 TD; Ja. Lawson 18/70, N. Lawson 2/22, Greene 5/8, South 1/1.