Panthers pound Tigers in 68-6 district contest

Panther defenders David Smith (21), Vershawn Johnson (54), and Cecil Tyler (2) smother King & Queen running back Noah Taylor's attempt to gain positive yardage.

Andre' Jones photo

It seemed like Charles City’s Panthers could do no wrong during an Oct. 24 football contest against the visiting King & Queen Tigers. And even when the Panthers did, they made amends for their mistakes quickly.

The host Panthers scored the first 35 points of the Tidewater District contest and never looked back in a 68-6 thrashing of the visiting Tigers.

Charles City’s defense initiated the scoring spree for the hosts early on in the contest. Less than two minutes into the game, Tiger running back Noah Taylor fumbled the ball, leaving it stationary on the ground. With no one around, Panther safety Mason Jefferson scooped the ball up and scampered down the near sideline to give the Panthers a 6-0 lead.

On the Panther’s first offensive series, quarterback Troy Crawley was sacked twice, setting up a third down and 30. Crawley remained calm, connecting with tight end Walter Gordon for a 31-yard pass for the first down. Senior running back Jaquane Wyatt would tote the ball in from one yard to help the hosts to a 14-0 lead.

Late in the first, linebacker Charles Vaden’s sack and force fumble set up another Crawley to Gordon connection, this time for a 28-yard touchdown. Craig Jones’ placement lifted the Panthers lead to 21-0 at the end of the first.

The hosts’ defense would score again, thanks to Tyler Johnson’s interception and 60-yard return for a touchdown at the beginning of the second quarter. When the Panthers took control on offense again, Wyatt strung together 70 rushing yards on three carries, with the last two going for a score to give the Panthers a 35-0 margin.

King & Queen managed its best drive of the night late in the first half. Quarterback David White connected with tight end Corey Edwards for 26 yards. Coupled with a late hit, the ball was moved deep into Panthers territory, eventually leading to White’s quarterback keeper from one yard out to cut the host’s lead to 35-6 heading into the break.

Charles City’s offense ramped up in the second half, thanks to an aggressive running game. Jefferson, Wyatt, and Charles Vaden each punched in scores on the ground in the third quarter to give the Panthers a 49-point margin (55-6). That gap increased in the fourth thanks to a Cecil Tyler rushing score and a Kyle Jones fumble return, giving the scoreboard a display of 68-6, favoring the hosts to conclude the night.

After the game, head coach Steward Greene spoke about the execution of the team during the contest.

“Tonight, we cleaned up a few things we have been struggling with,” he said, pointing to ball control and moving the ball offensively. “Despite what the scoreboard said, they [King & Queen] made us work for everything we did.

“We’ll continue to work on other aspects of our game,” Greene continued. “We need to be executing at the highest peak heading into the home stretch.”

Charles City improves to 3-5, while King & Queen falls to 1-7.

King & Queen—— 0 6 0 0 6
Charles City——– 21 14 20 13 68

1st Quarter
CC (10:47) Jefferson 79 yard fumble return (kick fail) 6-0
CC (3:48) Wyatt 1 yard run (Tyler pass from Crawley) 14-0
CC (0:17) Gordon 28 yard pass from Crawley (C. Jones kick) 21-0
2nd Quarter
CC (11:46) Johnson 60 yard interception return (Crawley run) 29-0
CC (8:16) Wyatt 2 yard run (kick fail) 35-0
KQ (2:27) White 1 yard run (run fail) 35-6
3rd Quarter
CC (10:07) Jefferson 26 yard run (C. Jones kick) 42-6
CC (5:34) Wyatt 25 yard run (kick fail) 48-6
CC (2:07) Vaden 3 yard run (C. Jones kick) 55-6
4th Quarter
CC (9:53) Tyler 30 yard run (C. Jones kick) 62-6
CC (7:04) K. Jones 32 yard fumble return (kick fail) 68-6

Rushing (attempts/yards)
KQ- Natiel 6/23, Graf 5/9, Holmes 5/8, Edwards 1/6, Lipscomb 2/-6, White 3/-23.
CC- Wyatt 14/167, Tyler 7/46, Jefferson 2/29, Smith 2/13, Vaden 2/10, Crawley 2/-19.

Passing (completions/attempts/yards)
KQ- White 1/9/26, 1 int.
CC- Crawley 4/11/84, 1 TD, 1 int.

Receiving (receptions/yards)
KQ- Edwards 1/26.
CC- Gordon 3/59, Wyatt 1/25.