In a neck-and-neck competition, the Morton Panthers barely overcame their neighbors the Pelahatchie Chiefs last Friday night for a Homecoming victory. “We scored to take the lead with about 20 seconds left on the clock,” Coach Ty Weems said, “We scored to take a one-point lead, kicked in the extra point put, which put us up by two.” At the end of the game, the score was 48 Panthers, 46 Chiefs.
Both teams lit up the scoreboard with points in the first quarter. The Chiefs scored three touchdowns and the Panthers scored two. At the end of the first, the score was Morton 14 and Pelahatchie 18.
The second quarter saw touchdowns for both teams. The Panthers missed their extra point kick, and the Chiefs completed a two-point conversion. The half ended with a Pelahatchie fumble recovery, with a score of Morton 20, and Pelahatchie 26.
Morton scored a rushing touchdown part-way through the third quarter, with a good extra point. The Chiefs completed a touchdown pass, but failed to convert for two points. Morton and Pelahatchie traded punts and the quarter ended with the Chiefs on their own 24 yard line.
The Chiefs battled through the Panther defense to score a rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and successfully rushed for a two-point conversion. The Chiefs and Panthers traded rumble recoveries, which wound up with the Panthers on their own 38 yard line. The Panthers rush for a touchdown and made the point-after kick. At this point in the game, the score was Morton 34 and Pelahatchie 40. Morton intercepted a pass by Pelahatchie and took over on the Pelahatchie 8 yard line — they rushed for a touchdown and a good extra-point kick. Morton then drove for another rushing touchdown, but once again failed to convert for two points. The score was Morton 41 and Pelahatchie 46 when the two-minute warning was called. The Panthers drove from their 27 yard line to finally make a two-yard rushing touchdown with less than a minute in the game, and made the point after touchdown kick. Morton won a tough game 48-46.
When asked about what went right for the Panthers, Coach Weems said, “Our offensive line did a great job blocking up front to give our running backs, quarterbacks, and receivers great lanes to run through. They did a fantastic job blocking first level and second level all the way down the field. That helped allow us to break some plays in the running game. We also were able to make a few plays in the passing game. Our first touchdown was a touchdown pass, about a 25-yard touchdown pass.” Additionally, Weems said, “Our defense helped us out with some turnovers. They got a crucial one right before halftime. Pelahatchie was going in to score on the one yard line and we created a fumble, recovered it and stopped them from scoring before the half, which was huge for us.”
With regards to the Chiefs, Coach Weems said, “Pelahatchie was a fantastic team, they’re well-coached, their kids play hard they have some great players. Their team was undefeated.” Coach Weems also commented on the fact that Pelahatchie was a close city and because of that, “…a lot of our kids know their kids because they grew up together; it’s only 8 miles away. They all know each other, they grew up playing against each other. It adds a little to the game when you know who you’re playing against. It’s always good for our kids, adds a little emotion to it.”
The Panthers had a lot of support in the bleachers because, as Weems said, “It was homecoming for us.” The morale of the players is always higher when the crowd is behind them. The support of local attendants can make a big difference in a game.
“I was most proud of how hard our kids played,” Coach Weems said.
The Panthers, who are 3-3 this season, stay at home for their next game which will be against the Kemper County Wildcats, whose record is 0-6. The Wildcats are ranked 29 in their 3A division, and the Panthers are ranked 19 in the 3A.
