Yazoo County opened the 2021 season with a 22-0 shutout victory over the Stringer Red Devils.
YCHS Head Coach Robert Dobbs liked the effort his Panthers played with but understands that there are still improements that must be made moving forward.
“I was extremely proud of the effort and intensity our kids played with. They played hard and as coaches, that’s all we can ask for,” said Dobbs. “We made some mistakes and that’s to be expected from the first game, but we saw some flashes on offense of what we can be. As long as we keep improving, we’ll be fine.”
The Panthers scored their first touchdown on a 59-yard, first quarter run by Devonte Watson, but were held out of the endzone for the rest of the half. The defense was responsible for the next two scores as Sterling Brown recorded a safety in the third quarter, and Donavin Green scooped up a fumble and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Kavontae Jones tacked on the final TD on a seven-yard run to seal the win.
Said Dobbs, “Stringer played hard and were coached well, but they just didn’t have as many plays as we did and eventually we wore them down in the second half. We were able to rely on our run game to pull away.”
Leading the way rushing was Green with 103 yards on seven carries. Watson added 61 yards, and Jones had 29 yards.
QB Jasper Jarrett was 4-for-9 for 82 yards. Austin Haymer was the top receiver with one catch for 52 yards. Tramony Little had one catch for 15 yards.
The defense was led by Gavin Scoby with seven tackles and one sack, followed by Brown with 6.5 tackles and Cortavious Rogers with six tackles and a sack.
Next up for the Panthers is a home tilt against Velma Jackson. The Falcons are coached by former YCHS head coach Bernard Euell, and the matchup has turned into one of the biggest annually on the Panthers schedule.
“We know that we are going to get their best game whenever we play them because this has turned into kind of a rivalry,” says Dobbs. “Their quarterback makes them go so we are going to have to contain him. The last time we beat them was in 2017, but we’re looking to change that Friday.”
