Grizzlies gang up to down Panthers
Creekview tops Union 48-14
By JARED PUTNAM Union Sentinel Editor

Sentinel photo/Jared Putnam Taylor Neely (#84) makes the catch before being tackled by a pack of Grizzlies.

Things got off to a good start Friday night, as the Panthers answered a quick score from the Creekview Grizzlies with a 60-yard touchdown run by Cody Adams. But even though the Panthers continued to move the ball, there always seemed to be too many Grizzlies in too many places, especially in crunch time.

"As soon as we had [someone] in motion, every linebacker was going that way. They had a good scheme," said Head Coach Todd Peugh. "We still moved the ball fairly well, we just broke down when we got in the crucial situations."

The Panthers still managed 210 yards on the ground, led by Cody Adams with three carries for 74 yards, Blake Gowder with five carries for 76 yards, and Chris Tanner with 16 carries for 51 yards. But the Grizzlies blitzed early and often, leading to false start penalties and at times, little running room.

"Once we knew they were blitzing [the offense] started getting edgy. We showed a lot of youth. We had a lot of mistakes and breakdowns on offense. We know there are going to be growing pains, and Friday night was one of those," said Coach Peugh. "What we have to do is learn from it."

Sentinel photo/Jared Putnam Blake Gowder runs over a Creekview defender. Gowder later scored on a 66-yard touchdown run. Gowder has scored a touchdown in all fives games he has played.

The Panthers second score came from freshman Blake Gowder, who broke a 66-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Gowder has now scored a touchdown in both the opening scrimmage and the first two regular season games. The Grizzlies had both speed and power in their own running game, leading to big gains and opening up the passing game. Their two-pronged attack saw both of their main running backs rush for over 90 yards each. "Number 21 will be as good as probably anyone we face this year," said Coach Peugh.

The coach said that the team was hurt more on the outside with the Grizzlies speed, but that much of the problems go back to not executing fundamentals, something the team will focus on this week. "We have to become better tacklers," said Coach Peugh. "We can be in position, but if we don't tackle its not going to matter."

Sentinel photo/Jared Putnam Quarterback Kyle McClure unloads the pass before the Grizzlies can get to him. McClure threw for 50 yards in the game.

The team is also dealing with injuries this week, including an injury to fullback Chris Tanner, the team's primary option on the ground. "We're going to have to look at freshmen," said the coach. "They're only one or two plays away from playing because of injuries."