Little Panther Rundown Week 5 (Brought to You by Bucks Run Oil)

Est. Read Time: 8 mins

Last weekend the Saucon Valley Panthers traveled to Northern Lehigh to face the Bulldogs on their home turf. The weather was unseasonably warm considering it was the first day of fall with bright warm sun and temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. The players definitely needed to drink lots of water to stay hydrated as there was little shade to be found in this venue. The field itself is a very nice astroturf field the kids like playing on.

The Rookie Flag team kicked off the action at 11 a.m. and featured a good mix of scoring and defense by the Panther squad. There was yet another format switch with the team now playing 7 on 7 and NOT switching after scores. If it seems confusing, it is because there is a slightly different format for these games every week. The important factor though is that the kids enjoy playing the game, and they certainly do, as you can see the effort in their faces as they run. #18 Benjamin Ganji led the defense in this game posting 3 stops with 2 for loss and #14 Bryce Johnston followed with 2 pulls. On offense the Panthers showed a balanced attack, registering touchdowns to 3 different runners, all featured below in the pictures. #14 Bryce Johnston started the scoring with a 40 yard dash; next came #3 Hudson Gonzales and his 40 yard score; and #6 Ethan Nelson finished off the game with his 40 yard score. The kids seem to be improving every week.

#3 Hudson Gonzales eludes 2 defenders and goes the distance for a Panther touchdown.

#11 Ezekiel Hallman looks over the defense as he scampers toward the sideline.

#14 Bryce Johnston records a flag pull for the Panther defense.

#2 Caius Wagner pulls a flag for a stop.

#6 Ethan Nelson leaves a pile of Bulldogs behind as he streaks to the end zone for a score.

The Competitive Flag division Panthers stormed the field excited and looking to post a win this week, but again they were up against a bigger and more physical team who seemed to control the line of scrimmage from the start of the game. The Bulldogs featured a player, #70, who by his size should probably be playing at least on the JV squad. The offense found little room to run and despite a committee effort couldn’t add up the yardage. Leading the offense was #24 Gavin Sweirkowski, who led the team with 49 yards on 5 carries, and #12 Jayden Reifinger also had a good 12 yard run negated by a penalty. Defensively, they played pretty well with the leader #30 Matteo Lazaro recording 5 pulls. Several other players, #49 Justin Merkel and #33 Hudson Mertz, had 2 pulls each while #45 Jaxon Walser and #26 Luke Peters finished the game with 2 pulls each, 3 out of the 4 for a loss. The Panthers took a 27-0 loss out of this game and fall to 0-5 on the season. Let’s cheer them on to victory here at Dimmick Park on Saturday.

#31 Levi Miller breaks the banner as the Panthers run out onto the field.

#37 Joey Basmagy puts a move on a Bulldog defender.

#45 Jaxon Walser records a stop for loss.

#30 Matteo Lazaro sends a Bulldog runner airborne as he notches a stop on the play.

The Competitive Flag cheer squad saying a friendly ‘hello’ to their counterparts before the game.

The Competitive Flag cheer team halftime dance.

The Junior Varsity Panthers took to the field next and played a very tough defensive game with the first quarter ending in a scoreless tie. The second quarter started with the Bulldogs in possession of the football and they sustained a very long drive taking up most of the quarter. Unfortunately the Panthers came out on the very short end of the stick when the referees generously granted the Bulldogs nearly 3 free yards and a first down after they had apparently stopped the Bulldogs well short of the 10 yard stick on 4th down. The Bulldogs subsequently scored on that drive, and led the game 6-0 going into halftime. The Panthers started the third quarter with a long drive of their own, but it ended with a fumble deep in Northern Lehigh territory. Just a few plays later the Panthers notched their second defensive fumble recovery. The Panthers thought they’d tied the game three plays later on a Grayson Schmell touchdown run, but eerily reminiscent of the Palmerton game a few weeks ago, the touchdown was called back, allowing the home team to maintain the lead. The refs swung the momentum in the Bulldogs’ favor again, and the Panthers just couldn’t recover, losing the game 12-0. Statistically the defense was led by #85 Brayden Frey and his seven tackles, followed by #38 Ricky Favere with six, while #3 Taylor Rohn contributed four tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, and #72 Daniel Janis made three tackles and a fumble recovery. #20 Grayson Schmell paced the offense with 121 yards. Another controversial loss puts the JV squad at 3-2, when they could very easily be 4-1 right now.

#3 Taylor Rohn dives to make a tackle while #56 Xander Farkas closes in.

The Panther offense calls their next play in the huddle.

#4 Jaylen Caballero looks to throw a lead block on a Bulldog linebacker.

The offensive line prepares to engage their blocks at the line of scrimmage. From right to left, #63 Sahalay Hernandez, #99 Austin Sanders, #78 Henry Lookenbill, # 85 Brayden Frey, #72 Daniel Janis and #8 Daniel DeTello.

The Bulldog cheerleaders offer a welcome to our visiting Panther JV cheer team.

The JV Cheer starting their halftime dance.

The Panther Varsity team played the final game on this very warm day, and also was engaged in a very hard-fought, low-scoring affair. The visiting Panthers opened the game with the ball on offense and ran a few successful plays, but the drive stalled out ending in a punt. The defense took over and allowed the Bulldogs to score after an 8 play drive, giving them an 8-0 lead with a two point conversion. Getting the ball back, the offense wasted no time and immediately answered with a touchdown of their own by #25 Anthony Maholland. The point after however was blocked, making the score 8-6. The Panthers’ ball-hawking defense forced a turnover on the next series, a fumble recovery by #22 Noah Hubert. The Panther offense went to work again and scored on the third play of the drive: a 44-yard run by #36 Jackson Albert. #10 Peter Albano made the 2-point conversion, putting the Panthers up 14-8. The defense forced a turnover on the ensuing Bulldog drive–another fumble recovery this time by #25 Anthony Maholland–but the Panther offense couldn’t mount an attack on this drive to extend the lead and punted as time ran low in the half, as the same 14-8 score stood at halftime. Both teams’ defenses stood tall in the second half and #26 Frank DiRusso caught an interception, putting an end to a late third quarter Bulldog possession. The Panthers’ offense took the field once again with a plan to run down the clock. They sustained a nice drive and although it didn’t end with points it gave little time to the Bulldogs to attempt the comeback. The Bulldogs attempted three passes in four plays, ending with an incomplete pass, a sack and a near interception by #1 Ashton Beckowski. Ashton batted the pass away toward #18 Hector Mateo, who also had a chance to grab it as it fell to the turf incomplete. The Panthers won by the 14-8 halftime margin and improved to 5-1 on the season. Workhorse running back #36 Jackson Albert finished the game with 13 carries for 94 yards and a score, while #25 Anthony Maholland had 6 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback #10 Peter Albano also had a couple carries: a QB sneak for a first down and a sweep left for a total of 11 yards. Defensive standouts include #23 Jakob Ziegler with 6 tackles, #25 Anthony Maholland with four and a fumble recovery and #11 Braden Rohn with three tackles. They look to keep the streak alive at home this Saturday, Sept. 28 against the Bangor Slaters on what will likely be another warm day. The games kick off at 10 a.m. in Dimmick Park. Come out and support the hometown Panthers.

Saucon Source thanks Bucks Run Oil LLC for helping to underwrite the publication of this year’s Little Panther Rundown. Bucks Run Oil is a family-owned home heating oil and diesel supply business located in Lower Saucon Township. To learn more about them, please visit their website and follow Bucks Run Oil on Facebook and Instagram.