The Tug Valley Panthers are trying to reach their first ever state championship game in football, but they’ll have to go through a very strong Cameron Dragons team to get there. The top ranked Panthers will battle the 4th ranked Dragons on Friday night at Bob Brewer Stadium in Naugatuck.
The Panthers (12-0), coached by Hady Ford, picked up a 49-20 win over Petersburg in the semifinals last week.
Tug Valley’s offense is led by sophomore quarterback Preston May. So far this season, May has completed 174-of-285 passes for 2,817 yards, 37 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He also has 60 carries for 387 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.
Junior Bryson Elia is will be alongside May in the backfield after a monster 247 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns against Petersburg. On the season, Elia has 191 carries for 1,442 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns while catching 31 passes for 371 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns.
Sophomore Cameron Slone leads a talented wide receiver group. This season, Slone has 70 catches for 1,304 yards and 14 touchdowns. Senior Ashton Davis has 26 catches for 407 yards and 6 touchdowns. Brady Brewer, Gavin Fitzpatrick and Derek Jewell could factor in heavily to the passing game as well.
Defensively, look for the linebacker duo of Senior Adam Slone and Sophomore Cane Thompson to lead the way. Thompson has 119 tackles, including 11 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks and 3 interceptions. Adam Slone has 97 tackles, including 13 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Elia and Cameron Slone help patrol the secondary for the Panthers. Elia has 5 interceptions on the season while Cameron Slone has 4 interceptions.
The Dragons (11-1), coached by Tim Brown, enter the semifinals after a 28-13 win over Doddridge County last week.
Junior Kason Angel is the quarterback for Cameron. Angel has completed 53-of-87 passes for 1,134 yards, 20 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Senior Klypsan Wallace will lead the ground game. He has 158 carries for 1,501 yards and 23 touchdowns on the season. Senior Slaton Pettit is also having a great season. He has 60 carries for 763 yards and 11 touchdowns while also catching 14 passes for 400 yards and 7 receiving touchdowns.
Senior Mason Scott is the top receiving threat for Cameron with 21 catches for 416 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Freshman Talen Brown has been stellar on the defensive line with 81 tackles, including 14 for loss and 8 sacks.
This is the biggest game ever in the history of Naugatuck. So, come out to see this contest to determine a state championship game berth. The opening kick is set for 7 pm on Friday at Bob Brewer Stadium.
