Written By: Bradley Damron
The Tug Valley Panthers jumped out of the gate quickly and never looked back as they clawed the home standing Sherman Tide, 32-8, Friday night in Seth.
The Panthers got on the board in the first period as quarterback Elijah Fluty connected with Tanner Urconis for 10 yard catch and run into the end zone to take a 6-0 lead. Tug Valley added to its lead in the second frame when Fluty scampered into the end zone from 2 yards out, making the score 12-0.
Sherman answered back as Timothy Hager found pay dirt from 2 yards away. Hager then pounded the ball in for the conversion to make it a 12-8 Panther advantage at the half. However, that is as close as the Tide would get.
Adam Slone got the scoring started in the third quarter as he carried the ball into the end zone from 29 yards out to make it an 18-8 Panther advantage. The score remained the same until the final period when Fluty completed a pass to Brady Brewer who streaked down the field for an 80 yard touchdown. Caleb Totten’s kicked the ball through the uprights to increase Tug Valley’s lead to 25-8. The Panthers finished off the scoring when Fluty raced over the goal line from 10 yards out. Totten kicked the PAT to reach the 32-8 final margin.
On the game, Fluty completed 15-of-19 passes for 192 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 12 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Slone carried the ball 15 times for 164 yards and a touchdown. Bryson Elia carried the ball 10 times for 67 yards.
Brewer had 4 receptions for 105 yards, including his long scoring strike. Elia had 6 catches for 56 yards. Ashton Davis caught 2 passes for 12 yards, Urconis’ lone reception was his 10 yard touchdown catch, Michael Curtis had 1 catch for 8 yards and Dakota Ooten had a reception for 1 yard.
Defensively, Hubert Marcum recorded 9 total tackles, including 3 tackles for a loss. Luke Bartram had 7 tackles, with 1 tackle for a loss. Austin Smith added 6 tackles, including 1 for a loss. Dakoda Walker had 5 tackles, with 1 for a loss. Ooten had 2 tackles and an interception.
The Panthers move to 2-0 on the season and will next travel to the Buckeye State to take on Symmes Valley, OH. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm on Friday.
