Panthers defeat Tigers in final regular season game

By Staff
Justin Schuver, Hartselle Enquirer
HUNTSVILLE — Huntsville scored 20 points in the third quarter to break open a close game as the Panthers defeated Hartselle 34-14 Nov. 1 at Goldsmith-Schiffman Stadium. The Tigers (4-6) will now face No. 7 Cullman in the playoffs Friday.
Hartselle muffed the opening kickoff and it was recovered by Huntsville, but the Tigers’ defense came up with a strong stand to hold the Panthers to a field goal. Huntsville’s Martin Patton knocked the 20-yard attempt off the right goalpost and the Panthers were held off the scoreboard.
The defensive stop seemed to energize Hartselle, which put together a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive that finished with a flashy play. Facing second-and-goal from the Huntsville 5, Hartselle quarterback Luke Bole took the snap and handed off to Marquez Jones. Jones then handed off to wide receiver Tony Weaver on a reverse to the right and the senior completed a pass to Bole in the end zone. Tyler Bennich added the extra point and Hartselle led 7-0 with 3:06 left in the first quarter.
In the first half, Hartselle twice stopped Huntsville on fourth down in Tiger territory and the Panthers also missed another field goal off the crossbar. But the Tigers could not take advantage of the Huntsville miscues and were held off the scoreboard again until late in the fourth quarter.
“But then we had some opportunities and missed out on a few things. Huntsville’s a good team, and you’ve got to take advantage of your opportunities against good teams and we didn’t do that.”
Huntsville tied the game with 7:04 left in the second quarter when tight end Andrew Bailey caught a 53-yard pass from Louis Gibson.
Hartselle fumbled with less than two minutes left in the second quarter, giving the Panthers starting field position at the Hartselle 15. The Panthers took advantage as Gibson found Daniel Lumpkin open for a 5-yard reception with 24 seconds remaining in the first half, giving Huntsville a 14-7 lead at halftime.
The Tigers’ defense forced Huntsville to turn the ball over on downs at the Hartselle 1, and 14 plays later Jones broke free for a 16-yard touchdown. After Bennich’s extra point, the Tigers cut the lead to 34-14 with 1:31 left in the game.
Hartselle travels to Woodard Stadium to face Cullman Friday night at 7 p.m. The Bearcats defeated the Tigers 45-20 in a regular season game.