While it goes without saying that a team needs to put points on the board to win a game, there is something extra special about a defense rising to the occasion to preserve the win.
That was exactly the case last Friday night, when the Maxwell defense, despite giving up a touchdown in the second quarter, held Modoc scoreless the rest of the way, giving the hometown Panthers the edge they needed to claim a 20-7 Cascade Valley League victory.
And, while defense was paramount, the offense got rolling early. After seeing their first drive end with a turnover, the Panthers came roaring back on their second possession, capping a seven play, 67-yard drive, when Berto Lara found the end zone from two yards out, to give his team a 6-0 lead.
After the Panthers failed to convert on the two-point try, it was the Braves’ turn to answer, which they did with a 15-yard run up the middle, for what turned out to be their only points of the game.
But Maxwell was looking for more and answered three minutes later, when after heavy doses of Lara, and a pass completion to Rudi Gonzalez, quarterback Dillon Dry took it to the house on a nine-yard keeper.
Dry then tacked on the two-point try, giving the Panthers a 14-7 lead with just over two minutes left in the half.
Following a Modoc three and out, and a lengthy injury timeout, Maxwell turned the ball over on downs, giving the ball back to the Braves in good field position at their own 44 with under a minute remaining.
Yet, nothing came of it as Lara extinguished the threat, picking off a pass to bring the half to a close.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Modoc had its best chance to get back into the game, embarking on a nine-play drive that took the ball inside the Panther 10-yard line.
But, in what was arguably the biggest play of the night, the Maxwell defense held firm, stopping the Brave ball carrier two yards short of the end zone, and giving the ball back to the offense.
Afterward, Coach Lane Davis was pleased with his team’s effort, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
“This is two weeks in a row for the defense,” Davis said. “Last week they threw a shutout, and tonight I’m proud of the way they persevered with their backs to the wall early in the second half. We bent a little, but we didn’t break.”
Maxwell then added an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter, when a Dry pass went off the hands of the intended receiver into the arms of Christian Herrera.
On a night where the Panthers honored their seniors, a trio of them, Dry, Lara, and lineman Cale Kuska proved that they are the heart and soul of this year’s squad.
Dry finished the game rushing 12 times for 83 yards, along with completing 11 of 12 passes for an additional 129 yards, while Lara garnered 108 yards on 17 carries.
For his part, Kuska was a menace, wreaking havoc in the trenches, where despite being double-teamed, he still collected six tackles and a sack.
Lara also had a good night defensively, with six tackles and an interception.
For Davis, the win is a sign that the team is starting to come together, as he explained, “We’re coming around. The seniors are being good leaders and the young guys are starting to pick it up. I’m happy with the direction in which we are moving.”
With the win, Maxwell (3-3, 2-2), the fifth place team in the CVL, now enters its bye week and prepares for a road trip to Etna on Oct. 14 to face the fourth place Lions.■