Football continued their win streak Thursday night under the lights of Leopard Stadium. The Leopards pocketed a 70-0 win keeping their momentum after last week’s blowout win.
“Pulling off a shutout is definitely a large accomplishment regardless of the team, it takes all 11 players on the field to do their job to the highest level,” defensive line coach Riley Donovan said. “Preparation in practice comes into play with each player regardless of their amount of playing time to know what they are doing.”
All three quarterbacks saw the field during Thursday’s win. Seniors Brayden Hagle, Austin Gonzalez and junior Alexander Franklin combined for a total of 358 passing yards on Friday night. Overall offensively the Leopards put up a total of 615 yards.
“I was pretty proud of how our team played,” senior receiver Blake Redding said. “I’d say it was our most complete game of the season so far. I’m proud of how everybody got a chance to go in and make a play.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the Leopards held the Panthers to 201 total yards while also racking up two interceptions. The Leopards shut out the Panthers giving football their first shutout this season.
“The defense played our best game of the year because during the bye week, we took a deep look at ourselves and fixed what we needed to fix,” sophomore linebacker Owen Magee said. “I think this last game is just the first showing of our new defense in the second half of the season.”
Seniors Kyle Parker and Blake Redding contributed to Thursday’s victory with Parker bringing two touchdowns to the house and Redding who brought in one. Junior receivers Parker Livingstone and Daylan McCutcheon both had one touchdown on the night.
“Our receiver group played amazing not only by catching the ball and scoring touchdowns, but their run blocking performance was the best we’ve ever done this season,” Redding said. “I’m excited to see how we will be able to keep our momentum and keep beating teams by 50 plus points.”
Junior running back Dante Dean led the pack Thursday night rushing for 130 yards and two touchdowns alongside fellow junior Matthew Mainord who rushed for 74 yards and also had a pair of touchdowns as well. The Leopards combined for 257 total yards on the ground.
“Watching the team continue to get closer as a family and build the trust that is needed to take this team to the state championship is so fun to watch as coaches,” Donovan said. “At the end of the day this is about our team and our progression.”
The Leopards will head to Crandall with a 4-2 record this Friday for their fourth district matchup of the year. The Pirates are currently 5-1 and are ranked no. 15 in the state. They are also undefeated at home on the season.
“The coaches are amazing and they’re the biggest reason for our success,” Magee said. “They prepare for exactly what we’re gonna see and that is the cause of everything you see on Friday nights from our defense.”
