For the majority of the season, French Camp football coach Nathan Wright said his team has found ways not to win football games.
But on Friday night in front of a homecoming crowd, the Panthers scored the game winner with 14.4 seconds left in the game to take a 21-14 win over Nanih Waiya.
French Camp improves to 2-6 on the season and will travel to unbeaten Velma Jackson on Friday.
Wright said his team made some big plays down the stretch to come away with the win.
“We finally managed to be the team that made the play at the end,” Wright said. “I was really proud of our kids. I thought we played a lot better, especially on defense. We probably should have had five interceptions but didn’t come down with the ball. But the most important thing to me is we were in the right place at the right time.”
Nanih Waiya got a big play early in the game when Briceton Boler intercepted a French Camp pass and returned it 75 yards to the Panthers 10-yard line. Two plays later, Boler scored on a 9-yard run with 7:27 left in the first quarter. Jake Vick’s PAT was good and Nanih Waiya led 7-0.
French Camp responded with a nine-play, 66-yard drive as Logan Wright scored on a quarterback sneak with 2:52 left in the first quarter. Reese Churchill hit the PAT and French Camp tied the game at 7-7.
French Camp got something going in the second quarter after a 55-yard pass from Wright to Silas Hodge. The Panthers finished off the drive when Hodge scored on a 21-yard touchdown pass with 5:51 left in the half.
Nanih Waiya put together a 13-play drive before the half but missed a 43-yard field goal and went into the half down 14-7.
After swapping possessions to start the second half, Nanih Waiya put together another long drive, this time going 60 yards in 14 plays as Isaiah Russey scored on a 13-yard run with 11:01 left in the game. Vick’s PAT was good and Nanih Waiya tied the game at 14-14.
After a French Camp punt, Nanih Waiya fumbled at the French Camp 30 when Vick was sacked. French Camp then went 70 yards in 10 plays and scored on a 9-yard run by Hodge with 14.4 seconds left in the game. Churchill hit the PAT and the Panthers took a 21-14 lead.
“It was really a well-played football game,” Wright said. “I thought both sides played well and played hard. It was one of those games that came down to who made the big play and we got a huge catch from Avery Summers late in the game to keep the drive alive. We were just hoping to get a chance to kick a field goal but Silas was able to get in the end zone.”
Nanih Waiya had 135 yards rushing and 49 passing for 184 yards of total offense. Russey led Nanih Waiya with 89 yards on 15 carries while Briceton Boler had 26 yards on nine carries. Jake Vick had 20 yards rushing on seven carries and was 5-of-12 passing for 49 yards.
French Camp had 211 yards rushing as Hodge rushed for 126 yards on 16 carries. Wright had 65 yards on 13 carries. Wright was also 8-of-15 passing for 136 yards and a TD. Hodge had 77 yards on two catches while Avery Summers had 54 yards on five receptions.
Hodge also led the defense with 13 tackles while Wright had 11 stops. Casen Shurden had 10 tackles while Summers had nine stops. J.D. Leach had eight tackles while Aayden Ray, Max McCoy and Hunter Bunny each had six tackles apiece. T.J. Pierce and Rylan Moore each had five tackles while Trey Blackstock had three tackles and J.J. Walker had two stops.
This week’s game
The Panthers will have their hands full as they travel to Velma Jackson and take on the unbeaten Falcons.
Velma Jackson, who is considered the favorite to win 1A, has outscored opponents 334-18 this season and has four shutout.
“They have athletes all over the field, no doubt about that,” Wright said. “It was 49-0 with Noxapater. But it’s a new season for us now. We can forget everything that has happened now. If we can get in the playoffs, anything can happen. We know we have our hands full this week.”
