Panthers Pursuit Of Perfection Falls Short
After finishing the regular season undefeated, FRA’s rally against University School of Jackson fell short, as the Panthers fell to the Bruins 24-17. The Panther’s senior class leaves FRA after one of the most successful seasons in school history.
Rally Falls Just Short
USJ opened the scoring with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Easton Underwood to Wes Wells. The Panthers would respond with a 30-yard Ryan Clark field goal to close the margin to 7-3 in favor of the Bruins. Underwood would then add two more touchdowns for the Bruins, one on the ground and one a 75-yard pass to Ryan Miller, to put USJ up 21-3. Senior Sam Harvin would score from 3 yards out to close the halftime margin to 21-10.
Both teams would struggle to get any offensive footing early in the second half. FRA would add a touchdown from Mr. Football semi-finalist Spence Jones from 9 yards out to pull the Panthers within four points. USJ would miss a field goal to keep the game at a four point margin. After getting the ball back from FRA, the Bruins would add a 50-yard field goal with just under 2 minutes left in the game to make it a 7-point game. The Panthers would be able to get in position for a game-tying touchdown, but Jones’s pass would be intercepted on fourth down at the 1-yard line and USJ would escape the Hill with a win.
The 2015 season was the best season for the Panthers since 1991’s state championship season. Quarterback Spence Jones finished the season as a semi-finalist for Mr. Football. Jones, along with Sam Harvin, Larry Wilhoite, and Thomas Fortune, will now look to represent the Panthers at the next level, while Bill Whittemore looks to replace 50 offensive touchdowns next season for FRA.
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