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Panthers blank Frisco City 18-0 The Marengo High School Panthers looked to be refreshed and ready to go when they came back after a week off and shutout the Frisco City Whippets 18 - 0 in a game played at "The Swamp" last Friday, October 5. With the win the Panthers improved their season mark to 4 - 1 and their region record to 3 - 1 keeping themselves in the hunt for a playoff spot. In the game, the Panthers rushed for 319 yards and added another 49 through the air to take control of the game and the clock on their way to the win. Leading the Marengo offense in rushing against the Whippets was Donte Packer with 105 yards on 12 carries. Joining him in the attack were: Michael Watkins with 85 yards on 15 carries; Quintin Watkins with 76 yards on 11 carries; Ontarrio Woods with 25 yards and a touchdown on six carries; and James Bennett with 10 yards and a touchdown on four carries. In the air James Bennett was 2 for 4 for 49 yards with one touchdown. Hakeem Hildreth and James Dumas were each on the receiving end of one of Bennett's passes with Hildreth taking his 45 yards for a touchdown while Dumas picked up four yards with his catch. Over on defense the Panthers got outstanding play from a number of players with Kaylos Pritchett leading the charge with 15 tackles followed by Jeremy Bouler with 12. Joining them with seven tackles apiece were Corey Noid, Donte Packer, Larrence Pritchett, and Michael Watkins. Bouler added a couple of sacks to his numbers while Devonte Lewis, Kalos Pritchett, and Quintin Watkins recorded one each. The opportunistic Panther defense also had three take aways with Anthony Kennedy, Lewis and Packer all recovering a fumble. The first quarter of the game was scoreless with the defenses for both sides setting the tone. Things began to pick up in the second period though as James Bennett called his own number and plunged in from one yard out to give the Panthers the lead early in the quarter. The two point conversion was no good but the Panthers led 6 - 0. The Panthers added to the lead later in the period when Bennett hooked up with Hakeem Hildreth on a 45 yard bomb. The two point conversion attempt failed again but Marengo was out front 12 - 0 as the two teams retired to the dressing room for halftime. Onterrio Woods closed out the scoring in the third quarter when he broke a couple of tackles and galloped 30 yards to pay dirt. Once again the two point conversion attempt failed but the Panther lead stood at 18 - 0 with the balance of the third quarter and all of the fourth period yet to play. It was the Panther defense that had to come in and seal the deal at that point. And seal it they did, holding the usually potent Whippet offense to very little positive yardage and no points. In a post game interview Panther Coach Scottie Jones had a mixed offering about his team's performance. "I am proud of the effort we had against Frisco City," Coach Jones said. "I thought we played pretty well overall but we had five fumbles, two of which we lost. Fortunately we were able to overcome them Friday but we might not be so lucky next time. We've just got to continue getting better each week and that includes cutting out the turnovers." The Panthers continue in region play this week when they travel to Fruitdale to take on the Pirates who are currently 2 - 4 on the season and 1 - 3 in the region. Being a region game, the contest is important for both teams with the Panthers still very much in the hunt for a playoff birth and the Pirates in an almost do or die situation trying to keep their playoff hopes alive. "Our game with Fruitdale this week is important for two basic reasons," Coach Scottie Jones said. "First it is our next game and we want to win every game. Second it is a vital region game with definite playoff implications." "They are a much improved team over last year," Jones continued. "They will be sound on defense and will try to spread us out when they are on offense. We have got to be consistent and execute on offense so we can control the tempo of the game. On defense we will need to stop the running game and get some pressure on the passer."
The game between Fruitdale and Marengo is scheduled for Friday, October 12, in Fruitdale with kick off set for 7:00 PM.
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