Panthers put up 366 yards, but commit five costly turnovers
By Randy Arrington
SHENANDOAH, Oct. 24 — The Page County Panthers have not had trouble gaining yards this season from their wildcat offense, averaging well over 300 yards per game; however, they have been unable to stop their opponents on defense, allowing 314 points through eight games, or almost 40 points per contest. That story held true on Friday night at Buddy Comer Stadium, as Page recorded 371 yards (all but 11 on the ground), while also allowing Madison County to score on nine of 12 possessions in a 63-42 Bull Run District loss.
Junior Braxton Pettit lead the way for Page’s ground attack with 183 yards on 23 carries (almost 8 ypc), three touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Sophomore Logan Richards recorded 148 yards on 23 carries (6.4 ypc) with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Junior Jordan Roberts put up 19 yards on three carries with a two-point conversion, while senior Joshua Knott had 21 yards on two carries.
Overall, the Panthers posted 371 yards on the ground, 11 yards through the air on 1-for-1 passing, and lost 11 yards in penalties on offense. Page was penalized a total of seven times, compared to a dozen yellow flags against the Mountaineers. However, the big difference in the game were the five turnovers that Page committed, including four-consecutive, drive-ending fumbles in the first half.
Senior Cameron Deneal started off Friday night’s district matchup with an 80-yard kickoff return to give the Panthers their only lead of the night at 6-0. Page would fumble on its next four possessions.
After fumbling a completed pass on its first play from scrimmage, Madison would find the end zone on its next six possessions to take a 42-20 lead into halftime. Page scored with 4:05 left in the half after a 12-yard score by Pettit ended an 11-play drive that covered 69 yards, and again with 1:30 left in the half after a 48-yard touchdown by Richards on the second play of that drive.
The Mountaineers got a tremendous performance from senior quarterback Aaron Fincham, who played a part in eight of Madison’s nine touchdowns and accounted for 291 yards of offense. Fincham rushed for 57 yards on eight carries and four touchdowns, while completing 12-of-20 passes for another 234 yards and four more touchdowns. All four passing touchdowns went to four different receivers.
Each team had a special teams turnover in the second half, as Page muffed a punt in the third quarter and Madison didn’t cover up a kickoff that was recovered by Page senior Reagan Weakley in the fourth. Madison opened up the second half with an eight-play drive that saw Fincham score his fourth rushing touchdown from seven yards out to go up 49-20.
The Mountaineers began to substitute freely as freshman Kayden Cottom came into quarterback, going 3-for-3 through the air for 55 yards and a touchdown, while putting up another 95 yards on the ground on 13 carries (7.3 ypc). Senior Jr Payne Cory recorded 83 yards on the night — all in the first half — on just seven carries (11.9 ypc).
Overall, Madison put up 466 yards of offense, with 232 on the ground and 234 through the air. The Mountaineers committed two turnovers (one each half) and were penalized 12 times.
After a three-and-out and a muffed punt, Page County would only run five plays in the third quarter. However, they got three scores in the final frame. Richards scored his second touchdown from seven yards out to end an 11-play drive with 5:57 left. After the recovered kickoff, Pettit broke loose for a 47-yard touchdown run on the second play to put up 14 points for the Panthers in just 47 seconds. Richards broke loose once again for a 66-yard end zone dash with just 2:22 on the clock to end the scoring at 63-42.
Up next, Page County (2-6) will travel to Central of Woodstock (5-3) to face the Falcons on Halloween night, before ending the season at home against cross-county rival Luray (4-4), who just suffered a 37-0 loss to Central on Friday night.
Madison County (3-5) hosts Strasburg (7-1) next Friday, before closing out the regular season at Clarke (1-7). The Eagles suffered a 48-7 loss to the Rams on the road on Oct. 24.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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