Berwick wins homecoming game, goes to 2-2
For the third year in a row, the Berwick Panthers faced off against the Thrive Academy Bulldogs for their homecoming game, and as in the past three years, the Panthers came out victorious, this time 53-7.
During halftime, Abby Loupe was announced as Berwick’s homecoming queen. The next day, Jace Macklin was named homecoming king.
The Panthers started the game off with a bang. After a good defensive possession by Berwick on Thrive Academy’s first drive, their punt was blocked by Cole Morris, giving the Panthers field position deep inside Bulldog territory. The great field position allowed Berwick to score on their first offensive play of the day, a 21-yard touchdown by Morris to give Berwick an early 7-0 lead.
Déjà vu described the next sequence of events for Berwick. Thrive Academy is forced to punt, Morris blocked it, and on the Panther’s first play of the drive, runs it in for a touchdown. The only difference is that this run was 25 yards instead of 21.
The first four drives of the game really set the tone for how the rest of the game would play out. The Panthers ended up scoring three more times before the end of the half, and each touchdown was scored by a different player.
Maddox Sampey scored from 20 yards following a failed Thrive Academy fake punt. Carter Whipple caught a slant over the middle from Evan Crappell for 28 yards after a Morris fumble recovery. Right before half, Morris scored from 35 yards to make it 33-7. The Panthers played almost perfect in the first half, the only mistake being a botched snap on a field goal attempt, leading to a Thrive Academy pick six.
In the second half, Berwick continued to dominate, scoring three more times. Berwick received the second half kickoff and drove all the way down the field for a Jason Matthews touchdown. Sampey scored his second touchdown of the night from 18 yards out after a Thrive Academy turnover on downs. The final touchdown was a Crappell QB run from 28 yards that came after a Kolson Toups interception.
The offense scored eight touchdowns, the defense had two interceptions and a fumble recovery, and the special teams blocked two punts. It was a great team win for the Panthers as they move to 2-2 on the season.
Statistics
Passing: Crappell 3-9 46 1 TD
Rushing: Morris 9-133 3 TD, Sampey 8-95 2 TD, Crappell 4-28 1 TD, Matthews 4-20 1 TD
Receiving: Whipple 3-46 1 TD