Panthers fall to Creekview
Panthers to celebrate 50 years of football
By TODD FORREST Sentinel Writer

Sentinel photo/Todd Forrest Kolt Owenby attempts a pass at Friday night's game against Creekview.

The Union County Panthers (1-1) fell to the AAACreekview Grizzlies (2-0) 41-7 on a soggy evening last Friday night in Blairsville.

Things looked promising for the Panthers early on as they took the opening drive and went 75 yards to take a 7-0 lead. Capping off the drive was a 25 yard run by sophomore quarterback Kolt Owenby. Coach Peugh mentioned that he added a few more running plays for Owenby.

"He and Gowder are two of our faster players. With (Chris) Tanner not being 100% we needed him (Owenby) to step-up his running game. Owenby is a good weapon to have and his running caught Creekview off guard," Peugh said.

Unfortunately, Owenby's run would be the only Panther score for the evening. Creekview took the ensuing kickoff and answered with a touchdown of their own. However, the Panther defense as well as the soupy playing conditions made it difficult for Creekview to hold on to the ball. The Grizzlies fumbled the snap on two separate occasions but the Panthers couldn't capitalize and Creekview maintained possession. Creekview was also forced into 4th down and ten on two different occasions, only to convert both of them. The second fourth down conversion turned out to be the play that shifted the momentum back in their favor.

Sentinel photo/Todd Forrest Chris Tanner rushes the ball for the Panthers.

Creekview was faced with a 3rd down and one inside the Panther redzone when senior, Josh Atkinson broke through the Grizzly offensive line and sacked the quarterback for a ten yard loss. That set up a 4th down and eleven when a Creekview receiver was able to come down with a jump ball in the endzone to knot the score at 7-7 with just six seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Creekview scoring drive lasted more than 8 minutes and ate up most of the clock during the opening frame.

The second quarter belonged to Creekview on both sides of the ball. They were able to break the 7-7 tie less than two minutes into the quarter to take a 14-7 lead. The Grizzlies struck again with just under four minutes to play in the half -the extra point failed and the Panthers found themselves down 20-7. Creekview was driving once again with a chance to break the game open before halftime, but sophomore Clay McConnell picked off a Grizzly pass in the endzone with just one second remaining before halftime to keep the Panthers within a two touchdown margin.

Sentinel photo/Todd Forrest Union County Panthers await the snap.

When asked about his team's first half play Coach Peugh commented, "We just didn't execute and take advantage of what they were giving us. Last year at halftime they had us down 35-7. I don't like to dwell on moral victories but there is something to be said about being down 13 at halftime and tied after one quarter."

Offensively Creekview didn't waste much time to start the second half. The Grizzlies scored three touchdowns in less than seven minutes of play in the third quarter to put the game away at 41-7. The final points of the game came on a interception return that went for a Grizzly touchdown. When asked about what went wrong during the second half Coach Peugh said, "We had a good chance coming out of halftime but everything that could go wrong - went wrong. However everything that went wrong for us can be corrected. On a brighter note, one thing we won't have to correct is our effort."

Creekview's offense was able to keep the Panther offense off the field and wear down the defense.

"They just wore us down with their depth. We started trying to run the ball to offset the time of possession. Another thing that hurt us was starting field position. Whenever you're starting deep inside your own territory it causes you to be more conservative with the playbook," said Coach Peugh.

During the second half the Panthers never started a drive past their own thirty. While Creekview was starting around midfield with every possesion.

This Friday the Panthers take on the Oglethorpe County Patriots. Friday night will be a special night for Union County football. Not only is it homecoming - we will also be celebrating 50 years of Union County Football. Players and coaches from the 1957 team, which went 5-2, will be honored at the game as well. Tribute to the 1957 team will take place prior to the game, with homecoming ceremonies at halftime.

Oglethorpe will be the Panthers first crossover game of the season. They are in our region but since they are not a sub-region opponent, the game won't count in the standings. Oglethorpe enters this Friday night's matchup with the Panthers with an 0-3 record. The Patriots knocked off Union County 30-14 last season at their place, so the Panthers will be looking for some revenge.

"Oglethorpe will have some speed and a good quarterback. However, they don't have a lot of depth. They run a similar offense to Creekview, so it's just a matter of us getting better pass protection and have our receivers running better routes," Coach Peugh said.

When asked what he learned from the Creekview game that can help the Panthers against Oglethorpe County, Coach Peugh replied, "We have to take better care of the ball and just take what they give us. We've just got to learn from our mistakes, cut down on mental mistakes, emphasize the positives, and point out the negatives. It points out how one or two plays can shift the momentum. We've got to keep the momentum on our side."

Everyone is encouraged to come out and support our Panthers on what should be an exciting and nostalgic night of Union County Football, as we take you back to the birth of the U.C.H.S. Football Program. We will also be crowning a new homecoming queen. Let's everyone attend and show support for fifty years of Panther football, as well as witness the homecoming festivities.