The Gold Beach Panther football team and head coach Chris Higgins are finalizing a nerve racking week of preparation after qualifying for post season play.
The Panther football program ended their season 6-2 overall and ranked #9 by OSAA, putting them on the road for their first round match-up against #8 ranked Dufur High School after finishing their season 5-4 overall.
Coach Higgins is expecting to be down a starting guard and defensive end due to injuries, however, “we’re going to prepare for this game like we have all season” he told the Compass.
The 6-2 Panthers finished their season on a 4 game win streak, scoring 342 points of total offense throughout the season while holding their opponents to just 200 points in 8 games.
However, the Dufur Rangers finished their season 5-1 in league play and 1A-SD2-W Special District 2 – West league champions after scoring 210 points of total offense on the season, while allowing their opponents to score 272 points of total offense in their 9 game season.
The Panthers are scheduled to depart from Gold Beach for their over 7 hour journey to Dufur, Oregon, near the Dalles, Friday morning at 8:15am, find a location to practice, and go through final preparations for their early Saturday afternoon kick-off at 1:00pm.
