As the season progresses, the Panthers have been hitting on all cylinders in recent games. This was on full display last Friday night at Panther Stadium, as the Panthers beat their rival McIntosh, 42-10. 

In the minds of most of the players and students, McIntosh is always one of the biggest games of the season. However, the game felt even bigger as WSB-TV was in attendance for the Channel 2 Game of the Week. Even in front of a large crowd, and the game on local television, the team looked impressive and took care of business.

“When I came down the stairs, I had never played in front of a crowd that big,” sophomore quarterback Joey DeLuca said. “I was a little nervous at first, but it all played out in the end, and it was a lot of fun.”

Sophomore running back Rico Frye was the star of the offense, as he racked up 238 yards on 20 carries and scored four touchdowns. Frye now has eight touchdowns in his last two games.

“He stepped up today, did a phenomenal job,” senior running back Dion Munerlyn said. “At any given moment, he can put the team on his back, and he has proved it over the last two weeks.”

While the sophomore phenom had over half of the Panthers’ 460 rushing yards alone, other players shined bright on one of the biggest nights of the season so far. Munerlyn accounted for 141 yards rushing on nine carries. Senior safety Matt Mullins had two big punt returns, only to be negated by penalties, and DeLuca completed two of his four passes, one pass for a touchdown to Munerlyn.

“The first quarter was a little rough for us, but we got our act together and started to play well,” DeLuca said. “I’m really happy for us.”

The game started out with a bang, as Frye ran for a 39-yard touchdown on the third play. The next drive saw the Panthers attack from the air, gaining 73 yards through the passing game. DeLuca found Frye early in the drive for a 24-yard gain to the McIntosh 36-yard line. Munerlyn later scored a 16-yard touchdown catch with 2:39 to go in the first quarter to increase the Panther lead to 14-0.

McIntosh’s next drive put them on the scoreboard, as junior quarterback Zach Sanders found senior wide receiver Taylor Casterline for an 8-yard touchdown to cut the lead in half. However, it didn’t seem like they were going to score, but a roughing the passer penalty kept the drive alive for the Chiefs. A few series later, Mullins had his first big punt return of the night, a 70-yard return which he scored a touchdown on. However, a holding penalty brought the play back to the Panther 28-yard line.

“We have to do a better job coaching that,” Phillips said, talking about the penalties his team committed. “Those blocking fouls happen at every level, and the game is played so fast that it’s hard to make those split decisions, and we are just not there yet.”

On the ensuing play, Munerlyn ran the ball 75-yards to the 2-yard line after being chased down by Chief defender Brandon McDowell. Frye scored his second touchdown on the following play to increase the score to 21-7, which would end up being the halftime score.

“Coach called a great play and all I had to do was execute it,” Munerlyn said. “Lineman did a great job blocking, and I just used my vision and took off.”

As the second half began, Frye was looking to add more to his touchdown total, and that’s exactly what he did as he scored his third touchdown midway through the third quarter on an 11-yard run to put the Panthers up 28-7. Frye added his fourth touchdown on the next series, an 82-yard run to increase the lead to 35-7.

“They couldn’t stop me tonight,” Frye said. “I’m just doing what I’ve been taught over the years; run hard, and keep your legs moving after contact. I’ve just been turned up over the last two games.”

A field goal late in the third quarter by Parker Romo gave McIntosh three more points, but it was all but over at his point as some younger players began to receive touches and playing time. Sophomore running back Mitch Prowant scored the final touchdown of the game on a 5-yard carry to finish the game off. The Panthers moved to 6-0 as they beat the Chiefs for the third straight year.

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“It always feels good to beat your cross-town rival,” Phillips said. “To our student body and our players, this is our biggest game. For the coaches, the biggest game is probably Whitewater, but it’s McIntosh for everyone else.”

The team has been constantly reminded about the 2010 team, when the Panthers featured names like Zach Laskey and Jeff Greene, went undefeated in the regular season, won the region championship and advanced to the State Championship before losing to Chattahoochee.

After six games, there is a certain buzz around the Starr’s Mill campus and around the locker room that existed in 2010. “We are playing for those guys on the 2010 team,” Frye said. “We are trying to do what they couldn’t do and finish it off for them.”

“They are tired of hearing the coaches talk about the 2010 team,” head coach Chad Phillips said. “They want it to be the 2015 team that everyone talks about.”

The Panthers play a winless Morrow team tonight. The team then returns home for Senior Night against Mundy’s Mill on Oct. 23, and finish the season the following weekend on the road against currently undefeated Northgate, with region championship and state playoff implications potentially on the line.

“Each week, we want to get a little bit better,” Phillips said. “We want to beat our opponent each week knowing that at the end of the year, you are playing your biggest opponents.”