The Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers were all business in a 41-0 victory against the Mt. Boucherie Bears. With the game starting over an hour late due to the Bears being stuck in long weekend traffic, the Panthers stayed locked in and were ready to go from the game's opening kickoff.
"Credit to our players for being mentally tough when facing some adversity as kickoff was delayed over an hour due to traffic issues," said Panthers Head Coach Michael Carter.
"We were on the field for almost 2.5 hours awaiting kickoff. Our players stayed focused on the task at hand and accomplished our goal this week, a playoff win."
Panthers star quarterback Chase Thurston shined while leading his team to victory. Thurston finished the game 12/16 for 242 yards and five touchdown passes. With Thurston at the pivot position for the Panthers, their offense looked unstoppable through the air.
After a 44-yard completion by Thurston to receiver Jack Roberts got the ball deep into Bears territory, Running back Peyton Mansfield opened the game's scoring with a ten-yard rushing score.
Mansfield is a star on both offense and defense. Mansfield rushed 17 times for 109 yards, one rush TD, and added an eight-yard touchdown reception. But his most impressive play came After scoring the game's opening touchdown.
The running back/ linebacker made a beautiful contested interception on his own team's sideline while keeping his feet in bounds to get the ball back for his team.
Thurston repaid his co-star first with a 60-yard completion to Tristan Dominguez for a score and then a 27-yard touchdown to Logan Wager to put the Panthers up 21-0 at the half.
The Panthers were all gas and no breaks in the third frame. First, Dominguez showed he, too, can play on both sides of the ball by adding an interception to his four catches for 91 yards and one score. The Panthers would drive down the field again with the driving finishing as it had most of the day with a Thurston touchdown pass, this time to Logan Ginther to make it 27-0.
The Panthers dominated the rest of the game despite an adamant effort from the Bears. With a blowout 41-0 victory, Carter was happy with all aspects of his team's performance.
"It was a three-phase win this week; our offense was rolling with Chase Thurston at the helm, posting our best performance of the season numbers-wise," said Carter
"Our defense did a good job adapting to some plays and formations we weren't expecting while pitching the shutout, while our special teams units were solid again," he continued.
Carter and his team will likely celebrate this weekend, but then it's back to work because the Panthers are looking for revenge.
"I'm pleased with the effort of our players, it's special to win a playoff game," Carter said
"We have an opportunity next week to host a Quarter-Final against GW Graham, the same team that ended our season a year ago. We'll need a great week of preparation."
That game, which's bound to be a shootout with two offenses catching their stride, will be played at Cloverdale Athletic Park at 1:30pm on November 15th.
