The Thayer Bobcats took on the Mountain Grove Panthers on Friday, October 20, 2023, at the Mountain Grove High School in the last regular football game of the season. Despite the Bobcats best efforts, the Panthers won the game 35-7.
First Half
With one minute left in the first quarter, the Panthers got a touchdown from a 46-yard reception from Brayden Haughey (#10 for Panthers). They did not get the extra point. On one Bobcat drive in the second quarter, they were unable to convert it, so Thayer had to give the ball back to the Panthers. On the Panthers first play, the quarterback fumbled the ball, and Mark Spencer (#1 for Bobcats) recovered it for a 17-yard touchdown play.
Penalties
With 3:55 in the half, Zuchowski from the Bobcats tackled Deveyn Martin of the Panthers for a 6-yard loss. Throughout the first half alone, what killed the Bobcats was their penalties. Thayer got three 15-yard penalties. With 1:28 to go, Brayden Haughey got the second Panther touchdown of the game. The score at halftime was 14-7, with Mountain Grove in the lead.
Third Quarter
To start off the quarter, Aden Estep of the Panthers got his team another touchdown, making the score 21-7. Zuchowski had another good defensive play, sacking Estep for a loss of 11 yards. The score at the end of the third quarter was 21-7.
Panther Touchdowns
Just into the fourth quarter, a Panther player caught a 33-yard touchdown pass. With around six minutes left in the game, Estep got a touchdown for the Panthers, lengthening the lead to 35-7. Although at this time the Bobcats could not win the game, they had two key plays at the end of the game. On was on third and twelve when Colt Gonzales (#10 for Bobcats) caught the ball for a gain of 16 yards. Another play was on 4th and 11 for the Bobcats. Brandon Prince (#5 for Bobcats) caught the ball at just 11 yards, getting Thayer a first down. The final score was 35-7, with the Panthers winning.
Districts
Next week, October 27, 2023, is Thayer’s bye week. The next game will be on November 3rd at Louis Bozman Field against the Charleston Blue Jays for the District Quarterfinals. [1]
