Panthers evade Eagles for first win of 2008
BY AARON OTTIS
SPORTS EDITOR
BETHALTO – Jersey marched into their biggest rival’s house Friday night, and brought home their first win of the 2008 season.

Down 18-13 at 9:29 in the third quarter, the Panthers’ offense took the ball from their own 37-yard line and used nine straight run plays to put six points on the scoreboard. The two-point conversion was good; Jersey’s defense held strong for the fourth quarter, and the Boys in Blue celebrated a 21-18 victory over Civic Memorial.

Eight of those plays were to cousins Chase and Quentin Travers, who rushed for a combined 199 yards on 29 carries. Quentin Travers capped the drive with a 1-yard burst on first-and-goal.

“The kids had a great effort Friday,” Jersey coach Gary Carter said. “And we sustained that effort for four quarters. The bus ride home was outstanding. It was nice to be able to celebrate, let the kids enjoy their effort. It was good all the way around. CM played tough, but somebody had to get a win out of this, and that was us.”

The contest started with a scoreless first quarter, but Jersey broke the stalemate early in the second period. Luke Pohlman finished an 85-yard drive with a 2-yard run to give Jersey the lead. Robby Miles kicked the PAT.

Civic Memorial did not waste time striking back. Brent Springer broke off a 46-yard romp about 45 seconds later, putting the Eagles within one point. The extra point attempt was not successful. CM was unsuccessful on two PATs Friday, including one kick and a two-point conversion that accounted to the final point deficit.

Jersey then had a five-minute drive that ended in punting on fourth-and-31, and the Eagles took advantage of good field position. Tyler Wilks broke three tackles on a 34-yard catch and run from Zach Tobin, putting CM ahead 12-7.

Chase Travers scored for the Panthers with 51.9 seconds remaining in the half, and Jersey took a 13-12 lead into the break.

CM’s final touchdown came on a 57-yard pass midway through the third quarter.

Carter said a key to this win was his team’s ability to show up focused, and maintain that focus throughout the game.

“Our kids know now that if they do that, good things will happen,” Carter said. “Obviously we didn’t play a perfect game, but the guys know that if they play intensely for four quarters good things will happen for them.”

The staff was proud of the Panthers’ drive to win, especially after a fight in the first half that caused the ejection of Jersey’s Dre Angelo.

“We could have laid down, especially when Dre got ejected,” Carter said. “Ficker got hurt, Cronin got hurt. We could have very easily said that we can’t win without our best guys, but we got it done.”

The Junior Varsity team beat Waterloo 36-14.

“We dominated the game,” said coach Garry Herron. “We were able to run wherever we wanted to, even though most of our touchdowns came on passes.”

Quarterback Robby Miles had three touchdown passes to Jason Hamilton, averaging over 20 yards for each pass.

The Panthers had a 29-7 lead at the end of the first half. The Panthers concentrated on controlling the pace of the game during the second half, attempting only one pass to minimize Waterloo’s blitz.

“The offensive line played great,” Herron said.

Quentin Travers rushed for 112 yards and one TD Friday at Bethalto. RAB/thejcstar.com