Announcements
8th Grade Football Defeats Hastings
Updated on 11/15/2024
Updated on 11/15/2024
On Wednesday October 9th, the Western Panthers 8th grade football team travelled to Hastings for a showdown with the Saxons. With a chill and the smell of Fall in the air, nobody who attended the game expected the offensive fireworks that went off that night.
The Panthers opened the game with Logan Young going 44 yards for a TD on the second play. Hastings then used their methodical offense to grind down to a tying TD. From that point, the scoreboard lit up like a pinball machine! Western was able to outlast Hastings for a 46-40 victory.
Logan Young ended the game with over 200 yards rushing for the third straight game. He added 3 rushing TDs and a 4th TD on a kick return, but more on that later.
The Panthers were aided by long TD runs from Carter O'Connell, Dom Galloway and Jett Archer. Archer also ran in a couple 2 point conversions along with Young who ran in one.
Late in the game with the Panthers clinging to a 40-32 lead the Saxons drove the ball the length of the field and scored both a TD and a tying 2 point conversion with only 31 seconds left in the game. At the middle school level, there is no overtime so if the game is tied at the end of regulation, it ends in a tie. With the entire stadium expecting just that, a tie, Logan Young had other thoughts. Hastings attempted a squib kick that somehow found its way all the way to Young who picked it up at the Western 30 yard line, then sprinted around the right side of the Western blocking line all the way to a go ahead TOUCHDOWN!!!
This put the Panthers up 46-40 with only 17 seconds left. After an ill-advised onside kick attempt by Western, the Panthers were able to hold off the Saxons' last attempt to score yet again. What a finish and what a game!
Dom Galloway, Joel Toyer and Chaysten Stephenson were the leaders on defense.
The win improves Western's record to 2-3 on the season. We will look to end the season on a winning note when we host Coldwater on Wednesday the 16th. The 8th grade game begins 15 minutes after the 7th grade game concludes. The 7th grade game begins at 4:30pm.