Charles City miscues cancel out big plays; Justices roll to 42-0 win

By Robb Johnson | October 10, 2026 10:56 pm

Charles City’s Damian Zuidema (right) wraps up John Marshall’s Tivon Sims (left) for a tackle for loss.

Robb Johnson photo

Friday Night’s football contest between the hosting Charles City Panthers and the visiting John Marshall Justices consisted of a battle of two teams looking for their first win of the season. For the homestanding Panthers, penalties on key plays throughout the contest factored into their eventual downfall.

Charles City failed to muster a point as the visiting John Marshall Justices coasted to a 42-0 non-district victory, saddling the Panthers with a fifth straight defeat and dampening Senior Night celebrations.

John Marshall entered the second quarter with a 6-0 lead when they struck again. Taeshawn Ebenhart tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Shy’Mone Harris with 5:39 until the halftime break, increasing the visiting Justices lead to 13-0.

Charles City appeared to have responded as quarterback Joseph Simms connected with wide receiver Damian Zuidema on a 70-yard touchdown pass. However, the Panthers were called for holding, with the penalty negating the score. Instead of the Panthers scoring, it would lead to John Marshall regaining possession of the ball. The Justices drove down the field, converting a field goal as time expired before the half to take a 16-0 lead into the locker room.

In the third quarter, more miscues plagued the Panthers as a Simms fumble resulted in Kyshawn Artis scoop and score to increase the visitors advantage to 23-0. After Charles City returned possession of the ball to John Marshall, Ebenhart threw another touchdown for the visitors, leading to a 29-0 lead.

Midway through the third quarter, the Panther duo of Simms and Zuidema connected again on an 80-yard connection for what appeared to be a score. However, an offensive facemask once again took points off the board for the Panthers. On the very next play, Simms was intercepted, with John Marshall returning the ball for another touchdown and a 36-0 lead. John Marshall added one more score in the final frame as a running clock went into effect, ending the contest.

Charles City falls to 0-5 in the season.