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DEL.ICIO.USSecond time’s the charm; third… not so much
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Every team wants to win the first game of the year. Unfortunately we couldn’t do that this year, but as the team went into the second game, everyone was looking to turn around the season.
After the season opener’s misfiring running game, only averaging half a yard per carry, Spencer Penson really turned up his performance in the second game against Rockdale, taking 21 carries for 149 yards. This combined with another strong performance by quarterback Matt Sweat, picking up 88 yards and two touchdowns through the air, which ultimately proved to be the difference maker. The Panthers won in a close one, 21-14.
With rejuvenated confidence, Starr’s Mill began to prepare for it third opponent, the Eric Berry-less Creekside Seminoles. Creekside, with Berry at the helm, beat us long and deep last year, and no one at the Mill was too happy about that. Last year we had gone into the game hoping to prove to everyone that Berry was overrated and could not stand up to the Mill. Our tailgaters even painted “Eric Who?” across their chest instead of the usual “Go Panthers!” After we lost, the mood changed. Then all the sudden Berry was some kind of football god that could take on a whole team by himself. I heard students say things like, “Creekside didn’t beat us, Eric Berry did.” And now that they didn’t have their god, it was our turn to beat them.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. We had a lot of dropped balls and overthrown passes, which killed key drives. In the fourth quarter, the Mill was up 9-6. With only about a minute on the clock, head coach Mike Earwood made a controversial decision. With the ball backed up against his end zone, Earwood feared a punt would give Creekside the ball in good field position, so he directed punter Chris Ward to take an intentional safety. The Panthers were still up by a point and senior soccer-player-turned-kicker Sam Martin, who has a strong foot, was called on to free kick. Earwood’s plan would have worked, but special teams broke down on the return. Nobody could bring down the ball carrier and he ran all the way to the Panthers’ five yard-line. With seconds remaining on the clock, Creekside kicked a field goal to win 11-9.
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