In a scene straight from a Hollywood script, two teams with their seasons on the line met in Gold Beach on a cold Friday night under swirling rain soaked winds, to determine which teams season of sacrifice, hard work and team goals would get continue their pursuit of their ultimate goal, a State Championship.
After a 6-1 regular season, suffering their only defeat at home two weeks earlier under similar circumstances to the undefeated #1 ranked Oakland Oakers, head coach Chris Higgins and the Gold Beach Panthers hosted their first round post-season play-off Friday night against the #10 ranked Taft Tigers. The Tigers came into the game suffering only two losses in the regular season to #2 ranked and undefeated Lowell and #14 ranked Toledo in a 42-56 shoot-out on the road in their last regular season game the previous week.
The Panthers would receive the opening kick and start the game off on their own 21 yard line. Immediately the weather became a factor as wet footballs, a slick playing surface and swirling wet winds forced both teams to adapt affected game plans to playing conditions.
Gold Beach’s first possession would stall before mid-field resulting in a failed punt attempt turning the ball over early to the Tigers, in Panther territory.But the Panther defense would rise to the moment getting to the Taft quarterback forcing the Tigers to turn the ball over on downs.
Both teams would battle between the 20’s for much of the first half before the Panther punt team blocked a Taft punt. The Panthers would put together an 11 yard, #11, Nelson Willstead sweep to the left and a 20 yard #7 Jake Westerman run to put themselves in position to get into the endzone on a 8 yard run by Jake Westerman with 3:31 left in the first quarter.
With both teams needing big plays to break the game open, neither team could risk turning the ball over in what the weather would dictate to become a ball control game of possession, keeping the ball on the ground looking to take advantage the slick footing and it wouldn’t be until late in the second period before the Panthers would strike again. Gold Beach would work their way down to the Taft 5 yard line and Westerman would find his way to the endzone to give the Panthers the 12-0 lead with 1:31 left in the first half of play.
Taft would look to strike deep on their following possession with just under 1:30 left in the half, but Nelson Willstead cut in front of the deep pass and rip away the ball for the interception, ending the Tigers attack and sending both teams to the half-time break with the Panthers holding on to a 12-0 lead.
Taft came out determined to power their way to a score, however, the interior defensive line for the Panthers would not allow the Tigers to establish a running game and the wet conditions combined with the speed of the Gold Beach defense proved to be too much for the Tigers to overcome as the Panther defense held Taft scoreless until the final minutes of the fourth period. Taft would find the endzone with just seconds remaining in the contest.
The Panthers would fall on the following Taft kick-off, and kill the clock to take well fought 12-6 victory into the second round of post-season play. The win puts #6, Gold Beach Panthers on the road this Saturday, to take on the #3 Colton Vikings. The 5-1 Vikings come into the match-up coming off a convincing 50-0 win over #14 Toledo, after finishing the regular season with 317 offensive points in 7 games while allowing only 148 points against them.
“We got into a muddy and slippery football game, and it really slowed down our offensive attack, it was our defense that won this game for us.” Panther head coach Chris Higgins told the Wild Coast Compass after the game. “We played great as a whole defensively with momentum changing interceptions by both Tanner Wright and Nelson Willstead, but Tyson Hilton, a second year ever football player, had the game of a lifetime matched up one on one against Tafts best player and shutting him down.”
“Getting ready for Saturdays game at Colton will be a lot of film watching and game planning by Coach Ryan Baxter and myself,” coach Higgins continued, “and we will need to come up with a wet weather offensive plan as well as a defensive plan that succeeds theirs. It is going be a battle and a great test of mental toughness for our kids. The team that contains the more focused kids this week should win this one.”
