PALO CEDRO, CA (MPG) – For the second year in the row, the season ended on a bittersweet note for the Maxwell Panther football team as they were defeated in the championship game.
Having been upset in 2024 by Los Molinos, this year the No. 2 seeded Panthers came up short once again after suffering a 0-26 shutout loss on the road to No.1 and unbeaten Redding Christian, a team they had lost to 22-30 during a preseason game back on Sept. 12.
Facing a Lions’ squad that had outscored their opponents 557-86 coming into last Wednesday night’s contest, Maxwell’s defense held Redding Christian scoreless until the final two minutes of the first half when receiver Collin Matos hauled in a pass near midfield and eluded would-be tacklers to take it in for the touchdown for the game’s first points.
With the score 8-0 in the Lions favor at intermission, they added on in the third quarter, then scored twice in the fourth, including a defensive touchdown on a pick six.
For Panther head coach Lane Davis, who completed his fortieth year of coaching football, it was a disappointing loss, however he also recognized that sometimes despite your best effort, you have to tip your cap to an opponent.
“We played good defense, but were just on the field too long,” Davis reported. “We had a couple long plays offensively, but two turnovers hurt us. The reality of it is that they were quicker than us and a good hitting team. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
No statistics from the game were provided.
Looking forward, Maxwell (9-4) will lose 15 seniors to graduation, but a group of five junior returners, led by Landon Barrett and Colt Montgomery, will form the nucleus of a 2026 squad that will also rely on rising juniors from its JV program to fill in the gaps.