The first half of the Starr’s Mill-Whitewater grudge match Friday night was the Adam Holley and Josh Clemons show.
The second half, the defenses took over, and Starr’s Mill gutted out three Whitewater possessions into scoring position, holding on for a 21-14 win.
Holley ran for two first-half touchdowns as Starr’s Mill beat the Wildcats for the second straight year, winning despite star receiver Jeff Green playing with a cast on his right hand and running back Zach Laskey bottled up for much of the night.
“No matter what, we find a way to get it done,” said Holley. “That’s what good teams do.”
Holley ran for 91 yards and had touchdown runs of 11 and 44 yards. He also completed 10 of 13 passes for 120 yards as the Panthers (5-0, 2-0 Region 3-AAAA, Division B) opened the season 5-0 for the first time since 2004.
It also kept Starr’s Mill’s Chad Phillips undefeated as a head coach.
Josh Clemons rushed for 134 yards for Whitewater (3-2, 1-1), including an electrifying 80-yard run late in the second quarter.
Laskey finished with 84 rushing yards Friday, when the Whitewater defense appeared content to make someone else beat them.
Laskey’s 1-yard run capped an 80-yard drive on Starr’s Mill’s first possession, and Whitewater answered with a 63-yard pass from John Mark Rhodes to Taylor Stanford.
The Panthers regained the lead on Holley’s 11-yard run, made possible when Whitewater was flagged for roughing the kicker on an errant field goal try by Starr’s Mill’s Ryan Nowicki.
Clemons’ 80-yard run made it 21-14 in the final minute of the first half.
On its first possession of the second half, Whitewater drove to the Starr’s Mill 12 before missing a 29-yard field goal.
With 3:28 remaining, Rhodes’ pass for a potential tying touchdown was intercepted by Starr’s Mill’s Gunnar Carson.
The Wildcats got a big punt return from Stanford to the Starr’s Mill 21 with three minutes left, but failed to gain a first down.
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