The Panthers of Yazoo County announced their return to the realm of the elite teams in AAA Mississippi football on Friday night when they defeated previously undefeated Winona High School 41-35 on Friday night.
The victory improved the Panthers’ record to 4-1 on the season.
Yazoo County head coach Robert Dobbs was filled with pride after the big win.
“Great team effort and great win,” Dobbs said. “We knew coming into the game they were a good team, a well-coached team. The coaching staff developed a good game plan, and the kids played well. We had some mental errors late in the game, but we overcame them. Proud of all the kids and the effort they displayed tonight.”
Against a difficult foe, the Panthers knew they needed to strike quick.
They did just that.
Jamarion Stewart took the ball in from 12 yards out to give the Panthers a 6-0 lead. The PAT was no good.
The Panthers kept the train rolling a few moments later when Kobe Fisher connected with Corey Rucker on a 31-yard touchdown pass to extend their lead to 13-0.
They needed all the points they could get because the Tigers were preparing a counterattack.
In the second quarter, Ole Miss commit and Winona quarterback Andarius Coffey struck back with a 46-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 13-7.
Not to be outdone, Fisher took off for 34 yards to find the end zone. Rucker ran in a 2-point conversion to push their lead out to 21-7.
Right before the quarter ended, Coffey connected on a 17-yard pass to cut the lead to 21-14 at the half.
Fisher scored his third touchdown to kick off the second half when he connected with Kory Gainwell for a 16-yard score to give the Panthers a 28-14 lead.
Coffey would not be outdone. The senior hit a 10-yard touchdown pass, his third of the night, to make it a 28-21 game.
One again, Fisher stepped up to the challenge laid down by Coffey. He hit Rucker on a 44-yard score and rushed another in from 9 yards out, pushing the Panthers’ lead up to 41-21.
One would thing that would be enough to ensure a relaxed rest of the fourth quarter for the Panthers.
One would be wrong, especially since Andarius Coffey was on the other side of the field.
Coffey hit a pair of touchdown passes to cut the lead to 41-35 before the buzzer sounded, signaling that the Panthers had survived, that the Panther had been named victorious.
Coffey did all he could throwing the ball to try to will his team to victory. He went 23-for-33 through the air for 394 yards and five touchdowns.
But while Coffey was dominant through the air, the Panthers stifled his elite running skills, holding him to only 44 yards on 17 carries, 16 of which came on one run.
Kobe Fisher was masterful in the win, going 10-for-14 through the air for 163 yards with three touchdowns. He also added 12 rushes for 84 yards and two touchdowns.
Kory Gainwell was used heavily in the win. He took 22 carries 124 yards and caught two passes for 22 yards and a touchdown. Gainwell was also dominant on the defensive end, racking up nine total tackles and a fumble recovery.
Jamarion Stewart carried the ball 10 times for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Corey Rucker caught five passes for 123 yards and two scores in the victory. Rucker also had four total tackles.
Alphonso Ray led the Panthers with 12 total tackles, one of which was for a loss.
Marlon Brown had six total tackles, three of which were for loss, and a sack in the win.
Malik Banks had six total tackles, two of which were for loss.
Alzavian Shelton also had six total tackles, one of which was for a loss.
De’Shawn Hudson had four total tackles, two of which were for loss.
The Panthers will try to keep their winning ways on track when they host Humphreys County on Friday night for homecoming.
The Cowboys are 0-4 on the year after falling 14-12 to Port Gibson on Friday night.
Despite the fact that they’ve had a lot of success over Humphreys in recent years, Dobbs admits that they’ve always had their work cut out for them against the Cowboys.
“This week is homecoming week for us against Humphreys County,” Dobbs said. “They’ve always played us tough over the past few years. They are very athletic offensively and have a couple of playmakers. We have to contain their QB and RB. They are the ones that makes plays for them. Defensively, their strength is the linebackers. They do a good job of flying around making tackles.”
Kickoff at Yazoo County is set for 7 p.m.
