Sports
Panthers Maul Morgan
By: Taylor Jedrzejek
Posted on:
High atop a hill in the southwest corner of Morgan’s football stadium, a homeowner has installed a cannon to celebrate Raider successes on the football field.
It’s so powerful that the shockwaves can be felt on the other end of the stadium.
However, the only shockwaves that could be felt on the field Friday night were the ones coming from the Maysville offense.
The Panthers (3-3, 3-2 MVL) bludgeoned an overmatched Morgan (1-5, 1-4 MVL) team 56-6.
Maysville wasted no time getting on the board, taking just two minutes and 30 seconds to find the end zone. The opening drive was capped off by Mason Swauger when the receiver took a quick slant from Cole Tompkins for a 15 yard score to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
After the Raiders were unable to capitalize on a Maysville turnover at midfield late in the first quarter, the Panthers drove down the field to extend their lead to 14. It was Johnathon Brennan who punched the ball in on the ground from four yards out with under 30 seconds to play in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Maysville would continue to pour on the points.
Alex Warne scored the next two touchdowns for the Panthers. The first was a 19 yard run to extend the lead to 21 with 8:29 to play in the second quarter. His second score came through the air 1:46 later when Tompkins hit him over the middle for a 66 yard score to push the Maysville lead to 28-0 with just under seven minutes to play in the half.
Swauger was also able to find the endzone for a second time in the first half with he returned a punt 65 yards. That score gave the Panthers a commanding 35-0 lead with a little under four minutes to play until halftime.
Morgan was finally able to get on the board late in the second quarter when Wesley Pauley went untouched for a 67 yard touchdown to take a small chunk out of the Maysville lead. However, 35-6 would be the closest the Raiders would get.
Maysville wouldn’t halt their first half barrage there. With just under a minute to play, Brennan scored his second touchdown of the game to give the Panthers a 42-6 lead heading into halftime.
The Panthers would add a couple more touchdowns in the second half to push the game to its final of 56-6.
Maysville used their huge size advantage on the offensive and defensive lines to bully the Raiders on both sides of the ball. The Panther rushing attack finished the game with 371 yards while holding the Morgan offense to just 122 yards on the ground.
Caden Mercer led the way for the Panthers starting unit, rushing 10 times for 91 yards. Brennan ran for 57 yards to go along with his two scores.
Tompkins finished the game with 154 yards and two scores through the air and 32 yards on the ground.
Next week, Maysville will look to keep up their winning ways when they travel to West Muskingum to take on the Tornadoes while Morgan will look to get back in the win column when the Little Muskies of John Glenn travel to McConnelsville.