NEWBERRY — The Newberry Panthers rallied with a 13-point second half to defeat the Palatka Panthers, 13-7.
The teams traded defensive stops in a low-scoring battle, but only one Panthers team could come out on top under the Friday night lights.
Palatka’s defense made an impact early in the game when senior defensive back Sheldon Brown picked off a pass from Newberry quarterback Zaden Wilcox.
Newberry (4-4) held strong despite being backed up against its own end zone three times.
Palatka (3-5) finally broke through on its fourth trip into Newberry territory. Quarterback Noah McKinley connected with sophomore wide receiver Bodie Green for an 8-yard touchdown to put the visitors on the board, 7-0.
Eli Campbell made his presence felt for Palatka, recording multiple sacks and tackles for loss to leave Newberry’s offense scoreless heading into halftime.
Newberry coach Ed Johnson challenged his team at the break to focus on its own execution.
“We had to fix ourselves. It was never a ‘them’ problem; it was always us, and our guys figured it out enough,” Johnson said. “Our guys have to play a lot better.”
Newberry’s second-half comeback started when Wilcox found junior wide receiver Javeon Long for a 12-yard touchdown, his team-leading seventh this season, to even the score.
Green returned the ensuing punt 63 yards for what appeared to be another Palatka touchdown. However, a holding penalty erased the score.
Newberry then forced a three-and-out to give its offense another opportunity to take control.
Newberry continued its drive with multiple strong runs from Wilcox, pushing the Panthers inside the 1-yard line. Running back Darius Debose punched it in to give Newberry its first lead of the night.
Kicker Kaiden Bush attempted the extra point, but a botched snap prevented Newberry from adding to its lead and leaving the score at 13-7.
Newberry’s momentum kept rolling. With five minutes remaining in the game, senior defensive back Derris Ford made a one-handed interception and returned it for a touchdown. However, the score was nullified by a block-in-the-back penalty.
Newberry’s defense delivered one final stop with 23 seconds remaining. Junior defensive back Deondrae Alford intercepted a pass from McKinley to seal the victory.
With two games remaining in the regular season, Johnson said the Panthers must learn from the mistakes that nearly cost them the win.
“We had two or three touchdowns called back because of penalties. That’s at least 14 points. We can’t hurt ourselves. We have to stop that,” Johnson said.
Newberry will travel to face Williston (3-5) next Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Panthers will return home for their final regular-season game Oct. 30 against Madison County.
