Close Game Against Panthers
The Raiders fell in the right place at the right time. From behind with a minute left Wayne Trace took steps forward to continue gaining first downs until the reached the end zone, putting them over the top of the Panthers and taking the game with less than a minute left. More pictures at westbendews.net
This game was a tough call Friday night. Going in, nobody was really sure who would take home the Black Swamp Trophy. Paulding seemingly had a strong team. On the other hand, Wayne Trace had a dominant reputation that proceeded them in every game. However, they are younger this year. Wasting no time, the Panthers had scored a touchdown by the end of the first quarter.
Preston Ingol takes another touchdown in the second half with just 2 minutes left on the clock. More pictures at westbendnews.net
The Raiders lagged behind and did not manage to bring the ball in for a touchdown. By half time, it seemed that Paulding would be easily taking home the trophy. The Panthers added another touchdown, while also scoring the two-point conversion. Wayne Trace, playing catch-up, was able to score their first touchdown in the second quarter. This brought the scores to 14-7 by half time.
The second half was when the game got really tense. During the second quarter, with an epic comeback, the Raiders added two touchdowns. The Panthers, who were beginning to sweat, only added a single touchdown. By the fourth quarter, the score was 21-20, with the Raiders maintaining the small lead. Paulding, unable to break down the Wayne Trace defense line, kicked the ball and was able to score the field goal, adding another 3 points to their score. All the Panthers began to cheer and congratulate one another, as they had taken back the lead, and the clock was almost run down. However, the Paulding celebration came too soon, as the Raiders kept on fighting and pushed back the Panther defense, bringing an additional touchdown to the Wayne Trace score. With only about a minute left on the clock, the Panthers decided they would not give in just yet.
Any hopes of a Panther victory were crushed when the Raiders were able to intercept a Paulding pass, taking back possession.
The game ended with a final score of 28-23 and Wayne Trace retaining the Black Swamp Trophy. This makes the 6th year in a row that the Raiders have held onto the trophy. On the Paulding side, two of the leaders included Preston Ingol (180yds Rushing and 31yds Receiving) and James Mourey (31yds Passing). Preston was also one of the top scorers of the game. On the Wayne Trace side, individual leaders include Caleb Schultz (93yds Rushing), Trae Sinn (220yds Passing), and Eli Sinn (67yds Receiving). Congratulations to both teams on a great game.
