The Whitharral Panthers couldn’t quite dig out of a 22 first quarter hole in the UIL Class 1A six-man football opener against the host Springlake-Earth Wolverines last Friday.
“Springlake-Earth came out and got on us early,” said Whitharral Head Football Coach Jeremy Holt. “We made some adjustments and our kids responded the way they should,” he said. “I’m proud of them for that.”
Holt added that the loss was a growth experience for the young Panthers.
“At the end of the day, we grew as a team and got better. That is what we have to have these first several games.”
Whitharral trailed 24-2 early in the first quarter, until Brent Robinson went for 24 yards and the first of two rushing touchdowns by the sophomore.
Two more Panther touchdowns, a 40-yard pass from Robinson to Nomar Gomez and a 15-yard pass from Jack Griffin gave Whitharral 22 points at the end of the first quarter.
The Wolverines kept up, however, with 20 points for a 4422 lead at the end of the first period. Springlake-Earth led 50-22 at half-time.
Whitharral closed the gap with Robinson’s second rushing touchdown – a 40 yard run – and a 15-yard pass completion from Griffin to Rayden Potter.
The Panthers trailed 50-36 at the end of three quarters.
Each team scored once in the fourth period.
Griffin went 11-for-23 passing for 134 yards and three touchdowns.
Robinson went 2-for-6 for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Brolin Kennedy had a single 34-yard completion.
Robinson had 17 carries for 86 yards and two Panther touchdowns.
Potter had seven carries for 47 yards. Dawson Rodgers had four carries for 19 yards. Griffin had a single carry for a three yard loss and Landon Lee had one carry for minus one yard.
Potter had four catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Gomez had two catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. Lee had a single 34 yard catch.
Nate Sansom had two catches for 23 yards. Dawson Rodgers had four catches for 20 yards.
Robinson had a single 15 yard touchdown catch.
Defensively, Rodgers had 9 ½ tackles, Gomez had 7 ½, Samson and Potter each had three, Copper Popelka and Kennedy had 2 ½ each and Griffin had two.
The Panthers will host the Kress Kangaroos next Friday at 7 p.m.
Last season, Whitharral beat the Kangaroos 60-38 in Kress.