Massey scores four times, Panthers vanquish Valiants

Published 5:30 pm Saturday, September 29, 2018

CHULA — Tiftarea Panthers stormed the field Friday, ready to defeat the Valwood Valiants on both sides of the ball. They did just that; shutting out the Valiants’ offense all four quarters and rolling to a 34-0 win to increase their 2018 record to 5-0.

The Panthers received the first kick after winning the coin toss. Spence Massey completed a first down run after quarterback Logan Crosson handed him the ball. Next, Crosson threw the ball to Massey for another first down. After two first downs Crosson was able to throw a touchdown pass to Bo Cunningham, but the team failed to get the point after touchdown (PAT).

After Cunningham kicked the off to Valwood, the Panther defense showed zero mercy against the Valiants. Hunter Hartsfield continuously put pressure on the quarterback, and eventually sacked him for lost yards. Massey stopped the Valiants on third down, causing the team to punt the ball.

Casen Royal started the Panthers’ drive off with a first catch thrown by Crosson. The offense worked up the field using a strong balance of passing the football and running the ball. After a bad snap, Crosson was able to throw a touchdown pass to Royal. The Panthers went for a two-point-conversion and Cunningham caught the pass, moving the score to 14-0.

Back on defense, Massey intercepted a second down pass, giving Tiftarea great field position for their next drive, which Massey ended with a touchdown run. The PAT again failed, but the Panthers were ahead, 20-0, late in the first quarter.

Before the quarter ended, Valwood received the ball back from the Panthers. The Valiants again were unsuccessful at getting the first down, and Tiftarea got the ball back at the start of the second quarter.

The first sign of life on the Valiant defense came out during the second quarter. Crosson threw one interception to the Valiants and the locals’ defense had to move back on to the field. Hartsfield was there, however, for two more sacks, and the defense continued its outstanding work.

After Tiftarea got the ball back, the Panthers couldn’t get a first down, forcing a very rare punt. That ended up working out in their favor. Dalton Jones met the returner with a hit hard enough to knock the ball loose. Tiftarea recovered and the offense went back onto the field.

Massey again scored when Crosson handed off the ball, and the Panthers earned a two-point-conversion. This put the score at 28-0.

Valwood continued to be stifled by Tiftarea, as Mark Coley deflected a pass, leading to another punt.

After the kick, it didn’t take long for the dynamic duo to put more points on the board for the Panthers.

Crosson handed the ball off to Massey for another touchdown drive. The score moved to 34-0 when the Panthers’ PAT was no good. The second quarter came to an end, and the Valiants remained at zero.

The third quarter started with Tiftarea kicking off to Valwood. Both teams failed to score during the third quarter, and the teams moved back and forth on the field until the fourth quarter.

Both teams played good defense during the fourth quarter. The score stayed the same through the entire second half and ended at 34-0. Head Coach Erik Soliday spoke well about his defense after the game, “Our defense played really well tonight. They were fast, they didn’t give up any big plays and that’s exactly what we asked them all week.”

The shutout was Tiftarea’s first since its 2014 opener against Crisp Academy and first over a region opponent since a 35-0 victory over Valwood in 2005. It was Valwood’s first time being shut out in any football game since the 2011 state semifinals.

The next home game is on Oct. 5, and that will be Tiftarea’s homecoming. The Panthers will play against Notre Dame Prep.