MAXWELL, CA (MPG) – Due to their contentious nature, rivalries often lend themselves to unpredictability and such was the case last Friday night as the Panthers found themselves deadlocked at 21 with Williams early in the third quarter before their physicality wore down the ‘Jackets and lifted Maxwell to a 49-21 victory in the final Mid-Valley League game of the season.
Although initially it appeared that the Panthers were going to runaway with game after taking a 14-0 lead less than half way through the first period, Williams, to its credit, fought back.
Maxwell put its first points of the night on the board when after recovering a backwards pass on the Williams 27 yard line, it needed just one play before quarterback Levi Velasquez hit receiver Celestino Corona in stride for the 26-yard scoring strike.
Less than three minutes later, following a defensive stand in which the ‘Jackets turned the ball over on downs at their own 35, the Panthers capitalized again when Erik New took the handoff and burst six yards into the end zone.
in a row.
Yet, despite all that had gone wrong for them, the Yellowjackets showed resiliency on the ensuing possession, when in the wake of a 36-yard pass from Matthew Cervantes to Ricardo Medina that put the ball at the Panther 11, Medina would not be denied as he twisted his way in for the score.
Meanwhile, Williams’ defense stiffened and forced Maxwell to punt on its subsequent possession after Julio Rosales brought down Velasquez for a big loss.
Starting from their own 34, the ‘Jackets’ eight-play drive culminated with a double inside handoff that Julian Garcia bounced to the outside for a 12-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14 all.
Still, the Panthers had an answer, responding with a 70-yard march of their own which was capped when Velasquez snuck in to give his team a 21-14 advantage.
Maxwell on No. 7.
Maxwell then attempted to extend its lead with a successful onside kick, but the Williams defense held pat and forced a turnover on downs.
Unfortunately for the Yellowjackets, back-to-back broken plays saw them have to punt the ball away with 1:42 remaining in the half.
However, while it appeared that the Panthers had enough time to add to their lead, the ‘Jacket defense made a goal line stand as time ran out.
Momentum remained with the Yellowjackets after intermission when Varion Gonzalez picked up a Panther fumble and took it 45 yards to the house to complete the scoop and score.
But instead of hanging their heads after the miscue, Maxwell rallied and for the remainder of the game imposed their will on Williams, scoring 28 unanswered points.
New was a huge part of the turnaround accounting for three of his four touchdowns in the second half on a night where the senior rushed for 148 yards on 14 carries in addition to making 10 tackles on defense.
Luke Pearson put the Panthers’ final points on the board with a short run up the middle, as he completed the night carrying eight times for 69 yards.
In rolling up 446 yards of total offense, Velasquez threw for 102 and ran for 35 more, while Tanner Vierra rushed seven times for 63 yards.
Also putting forth a solid performance for the Panthers was Corona, who in addition to his three catches for 48 yards, was a perfect 7 for 7 on PATs.
Nonetheless, the defense also stepped it up in the second half, spearheaded by Landon Barrett’s team-high 12 tackles.
Colt Montgomery ended the game with eight tackles, none bigger than a play on a fourth and one in the final quarter that effectively ended the ‘Jackets’ chances of narrowing the gap.
Yet, another standout for Maxwell was Rosendo Salazar, who recorded two interceptions and also had some big hits at key junctures.
For Panther coach Lane Davis, it was a good win, although he would have liked to see his team be more consistent in their play.
“Williams deserves respect for what they did, but we were somewhat flat,” Davis said. “I let the leaders talk to the team without the coaches for a few minutes during halftime and they seemed to pull everyone together.”
On the other hand, the Yellowjackets, who were without two of their starting linemen, were worn down by Maxwell’s physicality in the second half and as the frustration mounted were flagged seven times for various penalties after intermission.
In spite of the final outcome there were notable performances by the ‘Jackets, starting with Medina, who in addition to carrying 13 times for 77 yards made 16 tackles on defense.
Rosales also tied for the game-high with 16 tackles, Giovani Velazquez registered 13, Azael Velazquez made 12 and Garcia finished with 10.
Both teams now head into the postseason with first round games tonight.
Maxwell (7-3) is seeded No. 2 in the Northern Section CIF Division V and hosts No. 7 Quincy (3-6), while Williams (3-7) is No. 8 in the Division IV bracket and has the unenviable task of traveling to Winters (9-1) to take on the No. 1 seeded Warriors.