This week Thursday night was football night in Gold Beach as coach Higgins and his 2-2 Panther varsity football team hosted coach Bavaro and the Brookings-Harbor Bruins in their season debut.
The Bruins would strike first, after driving down the field and running straight up the middle for a short dive into the end-zone to take a 0-6 lead just 4:00 minutes into the first quarter.
The Gold Beach defense kept the Bruin offense off the scoreboard throughout the first period, creating opportunities for the Panther offense. Gold Beach then hit a 65 yard completion to senior Trenton Storns #13 to tie the score at 6-6 at the end of the first period of play.
In the second period, again the Bruins would put points on the board first, when Brookings-Harbor went senior quarterback Eligh Newell #16 through the center of the line for a 60 yard touchdown run, putting the Bruins up 6-14.
A Gold Beach turnover after a fumble on the following possession put the Bruins in position to extend an already 8 point lead, and Brookings-Harbor drove down to the 5 yard line and put the ball in the end-zone for a 6-20 lead with 8:49 left in the second period.
The Panthers fought back, scoring to get with in 6 points at 14-20, and a Bruin turn-over off a fumble on the subsequent kick-off allowed the Panthers to strike quickly to tie the score at 20-20.
The battle to control the line of scrimmage intensified as every possession could decide the outcome, and the Panthers scored again, putting Gold Beach up 28-20.
The Bruins answered quickly with a 26 yard run on a sweep to the right corner of the end-zone knotting the score up late at 28-28.
With the score tied at 28-28, all of the punishing blocks, the long runs, and the big hits in the previous three and half quarters didn’t matter, as both teams sat even, with just over 6:00 minutes left to play.
The Hwy. 101 rivalry came down to an extra-point after both teams scored in the final minutes, with the Panthers securing the 8 point lead after converting the point after for the 36-34 win, spoiling the Bruin season debut, and extending the Panthers record to 3-2.
