For the second week in a row, the Yazoo County Panthers found themselves just seconds away from a loss before being saved by miraculous, last-second heroics.
And this time the win was for County bragging rights as the Panthers came from behind to pull out a 33-26 victory over rival Yazoo City in the Annual Battle for the Y-Team Trophy, aka, the Yazoo Bowl.
Trailing 26-25 with under a minute to play, Panther quarterback Reed Miller launched a pass down the sideline that was caught by receiver Cameron Williams and taken 73 yards to the house for the upset win.
Yazoo County picked up their first win of the season (1-2) while Yazoo City drops to 0-3.
The game was a tale of two halves as the Indians couldn’t be stopped early, scoring back-to-back on a Nikqwan Parker run and then a Parker interception return for a TD.
By the end of the first quarter Yazoo City led 14-7, however, after a 30-minute lightning delay, the rain began to fall making the Panther’s stadium nickname “The Swamp” a reality.
The Indians led 26-7 at the half, but the Panthers rallied and scored 26 unanswered second half points to steal the win.
“The perseverance of our kids was on display tonight,” said YCHS head coach Robert Dobbs. “It was a tale of three quarters. We didn’t play very well in the first half. Yazoo City came out and made plays and just wanted it more than us in that first half. We went in at halftime, and I just told the guys to just calm down and rally and pull on each other. We’d been talking all week about staying together as a team and that’s just a true testament that good things come to those who work hard.”
“Obviously the weather played a big part in the second half. The balls were really slick which affected the snaps and our ability to pass the ball,” said YHS head coach Sherrod Gideon.
“Our goal is to be ready for our district. I think the first half Friday night showed everyone what we are capable of when healthy,” Gideon added. “I like our chances in district.”
