Saratoga News
Sports
Defense key to season-opening victory for Prospect at Sequoia
By Kevin Sparrer
Taking advantage of what is given can sometimes be the key to winning football games. The Prospect Panthers found that to be the key to victory when they defeated Sequoia on Sept. 1 in the first game of the season.
The Panthers forced seven turnovers in the game and won 26-8, despite trailing 8-0 in the third quarter.
Prospect scored three of its four touchdowns by capitalizing on Sequoia mistakes. In fact, the Panther defense scored more points than the Panther offense.
The Cherokees and Panthers played to a scoreless tie in the first half, but Sequoia broke the deadlock by scoring a touchdown and a two-point conversion early in the third quarter. The touchdown drive started, ironically, after the Cherokees intercepted a Prospect pass.
It didn't take the Panthers long to answer back, then grab the lead.
Prospect took the Sequoia kick-off and moved down the field for a score. Senior quarterback Zach Stevenson hit senior wide receiver Kendall Hendon on an 11-yard pass for the Panthers' first score of the game, and David Matusewicz kicked the extra point. As it turned out, it would be the only offensive touchdown for Prospect.
The Panthers kicked off to the Cherokees but the returner fumbled the ball. Senior Joe Clayton scooped up the football and raced 27 yards for a touchdown, and Prospect owned a 13-8 lead.
The Prospect offense struggled against Sequoia. But while the Panthers may not have advanced on offense, their defense couldn't be stopped.
The defense struck again in the fourth quarter when senior linebacker Kyle Koke scooped up a fumbled snap at Prospect's 26-yard line and raced 74 yards for another score.
The Panthers closed out the scoring when junior linebacker Randy Wilde picked off a pass and ran 45 yards for another touchdown with less than a minute left in the game. Matusewicz kicked the extra point to bring the score to the final 26-8.
The Panthers, 1-0 for the year after facing a bye last week, will now face the Leigh Longhorns on Sept. 15. The game will be played at Leigh with a 7 p.m. kick-off.
Like Prospect, the Longhorns are 1-0 so far this season. Leigh dominated San Mateo 33-7 on Sept. 9.
