MAXWELL, CA (MPG) – A perennial powerhouse among the small schools in the North State no matter the sport, the Fall River Bulldogs have been a particular foil for the Maxwell Panthers over the years.
However, last Friday night in the first round of the Northern Section Division V football playoffs, the No. 2 seeded Panthers ended an 11-game drought against the Bulldogs, as they played smash-mouth football in the second half to emerge with a 41-30 victory.
Despite it not being its best game of the season, Coach Lane Davis and his staff found no fault in the effort his team exerted to earn the first win over Fall River in a decade.
“I’m very proud of them,” said Davis. “We had a few minor injuries tonight and maybe didn’t play as well as we can defensively, but we fought through the adversity and that speaks to the character of this team.”
It was a roller coaster ride from the outset, as after Maxwell’s defense held the No. 7 Bulldogs to a three-and-out on the game’s opening drive, the offense subsequently turned it over on its initial possession when a tipped ball was intercepted by Fall River at the Panther 39-yard line.
But after a second defensive stand, Maxwell was back on the attack, starting at its own 26 and embarking on a 10-play drive that culminated with quarterback Noel Velazquez extending the play before finding a wide-open Cristian Lara in the end zone for the first points of the game.
Looking for more, the Panthers opted for an onside attempt on the ensuing kickoff, but it was unsuccessful, giving the Bulldogs good field position at the Maxwell 47.
Three plays later, Fall River was inside the red zone and ultimately scored, although the Panthers stuffed the two-point try to preserve a slim 7-6 advantage as the first period expired.
Yet, Maxwell countered in rapid fashion when after a 28-yard return by Celestino Corona took the ball to the Bulldog 30, Velazquez dropped back and again found an uncovered Lara for another touchdown.
Brody Jones punched in the two-point try giving the Panthers a bit of a cushion with a 15-6 lead.
Carrying the momentum forward, Maxwell made another defensive stop, allowing the offense to drive the ball down to the Fall River two before Erik New blasted his way into the end zone.
A failed PAT made the score 21-6 with seven minutes left in the half, but the Bulldogs were not going quietly and as the Panther offense stalled, got themselves back into the game scoring twice to draw within three points and making it 21-18 at intermission.
Coming out in the third quarter, Maxwell regained its offensive rhythm, dominating the time of possession and putting two more touchdowns on the board, the first coming as Velazquez scored on a one-yard tush push play, while the second occurred after a 27-yard run by Jones.
Nonetheless, the 35-18 advantage didn’t deter the Bulldogs, who tacked on six more points at the end of the third quarter with a touchdown.
But the Panthers didn’t panic entering the final quarter, the one they believe they own, as Davis explained.
“We don’t lose in the fourth quarter. That’s our motto,” said the Maxwell head coach. “We believe that we are in better shape than everybody and we talk all the time about dominating both mentally and physically to close out games.”
True to that belief, the Panthers proceeded to put together a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive that resulted in another New touchdown, as the junior running back broke through the line to score from 20-yards away and extend the lead to 41-24.
However, an inability to wrap-up ball carriers on defense, something that plagued Maxwell all night long, made things interesting down the stretch, as Fall River scored on a 65-yard catch and run with eight minutes remaining in the game.
On the ensuing possession with the Panthers trying to work the clock, the Bulldog defense stiffened, setting up a fourth and five near midfield for what was arguably the biggest play of the game.
Dropping back to as if punt, Velazquez instead completed a short pass to Karter Burt for the first down, one yard beyond the line to gain.
It was a gutsy call and one that Velazquez lobbied for during the timeout called prior to the play, convincing both Davis and offensive coordinator Robert Wilson to trust their players.
“I couldn’t make a decision and I’m looking at Coach Wilson and he’s saying punt,” Davis acknowledged with a chuckle. “But it’s something that we practice all the time, so we went for it. Fortunately, Karter made a great catch.”
As a result, and with a fresh set of downs, Maxwell continued to move the chains before ultimately ending the night in victory formation.
Although the passing game didn’t gain as much traction as normal, the Panther ground attack was effective, accounting for 289 yards despite limited touches by New, who suffered a minor injury on the third play of the game.
Still, Jones and Corona both stepped up, rushing for 62 and 53 yards respectively to draw praise from Davis who said, “ Those guys filled in so well tonight. We always tell them to pay attention to the position in front of them because they are one play away from having to perform.”
For his part New carried 16 times for 75 yards, while Velazquez shouldered a heavy load as well, rushing 19 times for 98 yards in addition to completing eight of 11 passes for an additional 100 yards.
Defensively, Connor Pearson made a big contribution with a team-high 11 tackles, as did Macklin Kuska, who finished with nine tackles and New who added seven.
Maxwell (10-1) continues its quest for a section championship tonight when it squares off at home against No. 6 Redding Christian (6-5) in a second round playoff game.