Preston May had a career game as the top ranked Tug Valley Panthers took to the air to storm past the 16th ranked Tolsia Rebels, 48-8, on Saturday afternoon at Bob Brewer Stadium in Naugatuck.
May completed 19-of-33 passes for 482 yards, 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions as the Panthers (11-0) tied a school record with 11 wins on the season.
The Rebels (6-5) actually got the scoring going in the first period when they marched down the field and capped off a long drive with a 2-yard Luke Williamson touchdown run. Elijah Ekers scored on the conversion run to give Tolsia its only lead at 8-0.
The Panthers just needed three plays to put together a drive that was capped off by a 14-yard touchdown pass from May to Bryson Elia. May then threw a conversion pass to Cameron Slone to tie the game up at 8-8.
Tug Valley began to pull away in the second quarter. First, May found Cameron Slone on a 50-yard touchdown pass. Aiden Bosserman’s PAT kick made it a 15-8 Panther lead. A few minutes later, May hit Cameron Slone again, this time on a 68-yard pass reception. Bosserman’s kick gave Tug Valley a 22-8 lead. Bosserman then added a 29-yard field goal late in the half to make it a 25-8 lead at the half.
The Panthers continued to add to their lead in the third quarter when May connected with Derek Jewell on a 34-yard touchdown pass. Bosserman’s kick made it a 32-8 lead. May then passed to Brady Brewer who raced down the field for an 80-yard scoring strike. Bosserman’s PAT kick increased the advantage to 39-8 heading into the final quarter.
Tug Valley got a safety in the fourth quarter when Adam Slone made a tackle in the end zone for a 41-8 lead. The final touchdown came when May connected with Elia in the back of the end zone on a 14-yard pass. Rilee White added the PAT kick for the final margin.
For the Panthers, Elia had 6 carries for 44 yards while hauling in 7 passes for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Cameron Slone led all receivers with 203 yards and 2 touchdowns on 7 catches. Brewer had 1 catch for 80 yards and 1 touchdown. Jewell caught 3 passes for 63 yards and 1 touchdown. Ashton Davis had 1 catch for 8 yards.
Defensively, Dakoda Walker led the Panthers with 12 tackles. Adam Slone and Cane Thompson had 11 tackles each with Thompson adding an interception. Brewer also had an interception in the win.
For Tolsia, Robert Evans led the way. He completed 1-of-1 passes for 4 yards, carried the ball 24 times for 106 yards and caught 6 passes for 14 yards.
Luke Williamson completed 5-of-11 passes for 10 yards and 2 interceptions. He also carried the ball 12 times for 21 yards and 1 touchdown. Ekers had 6 carries for 11 yards.
Defensively, Evans snagged 2 interceptions for the Rebels.
Tug Valley will now head to the quarterfinals and face 8th ranked Petersburg (6-5), a 49-8 winner over River View in the opening round of the playoffs. The opening kick is set for 4 pm on Saturday at Bob Brewer Stadium in Naugatuck.
Photo Courtesy of Carla Mounts
