Junior High Panthers fall to Eunice
By John Earp
The Jal Junior High School Football Team, which has had an exciting start to their season with back-to-back wins against the Loving Falcons, met their match and then some in Eunice last Tuesday night.
The game got off to a bad start for the Panthers, with the Cardinals making it into the end zone on a running play, virtually untouched, on their first possession. A follow-up two-point conversion gave Eunice an 8-0 lead. The Panthers’ first offensive drive started slowly, but with an offsides penalty against Eunice on third and two, the Panther Offense moved the chains. Panther Quarterback Landon Edwards soon got another first down on a quarterback keeper up the middle, giving the Panthers good field position on the Eunice 38-yard line.
Edwards was able to draw the Cardinals offsides with a delayed snap count, giving the Panthers another first down. Edwards then ran the ball on the next play for about 15 yards, giving the Panthers a first down on the Cardinal 15-yard line. The Cardinal Defense was able to hinder the Panthers’ progress near the goal line, and Jal faced a fourth and three situation on the 7-yard line with 1:06 remaining in the first quarter. Unfortunately, the Panther Offense was stopped cold at the 7, resulting in a turnover.
The Cardinal Offense was steadily effective when they had possession, and with 7:12 remaining in the second quarter, Eunice led 14-0. The Panther Defense was able to sack the Cardinal quarterback on their two-point conversion attempt, which definitely was a hopeful sign of what they could do and of things to come.
Arian Lujan intercepted a Cardinal pass in the end zone, resulting in a touchback, giving the Panthers the ball on the twenty and denying the Cardinals a touchdown with 2:36 remaining in the half. The Panthers had trouble executing on their ensuing drive, and faced a third and sixteen situation, but they were not able to move the ball and had to punt on fourth down with less than a minute left before halftime. The Cardinals were able to complete a short pass to the flat on their next play, running the ball into ten end zone. With 30 seconds remaining in the half, the Cardinals led 20-0 after the Panthers again sacked the quarterback on the two-point conversion attempt. At halftime, Eunice led Jal 20-0.
In the middle of the third quarter, the Panther Offense began to play more confidently and effectively, advancing down to the Cardinal 6-yard line. An unfortunate offsides penalty against the Panthers pushed them back to the 11. With a third down on the 7-yard line, Edwards threw an incomplete pass, resulting in a fourth-and-goal situation for the Panthers. Going for it on fourth, David Hernandez was able to run the ball into the end zone for the Panthers’ first score of the game. With 2:15 remaining in the third quarter, Eunice remained in the lead, 20-6.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Cardinals ran the ball all the way into the end zone, barely being touched. A penalty brought the ball back to the Panther 40-yard line, however. On the next play, however, the Cardinals were able to run the ball around the Panther Defense, giving the Cardinals another touchdown. Eunice led 26-6 with 1:50 remaining in the third quarter.
The Panther Defense showed some promise in the fourth quarter, and were able to slow down the Cardinals somewhat early in the quarter. However, the Cardinal Offense continued to prevail overall, and began building the momentum once again. With 6:30 remaining in the game, Eunice led 32-6. The Cardinals continued to dominate the game. Final score was 48-6. The team will not play again until the 23rd. They have almost three weeks to prepare to play once again versus Eunice.
