Gameday Takeaways, Week 4

In their final non-region game of the season, Starr’s Mill took down the Sandy Creek Patriots 10-7 in a game that was left in the hands of the defenses. With their non-region games over and their record at 3-1, here are three takeaways in the Panthers’ last test before region.

1. Offense played well despite tough opponent, but wasn’t perfect

Similar to Starr’s Mill, Sandy Creek’s defense has a lot of experience and firepower behind it. They proved to be a formidable challenge for the inexperienced yet talented offense Starr’s Mill has. Even so, Starr’s Mill managed 174 total yards of offense, while maintaining possession for over 26 minutes. Sophomore quarterback Will Yarbrough also threw the ball a fair amount, going 3-for-8 with 32 yards and an interception.

From the stats, it’s interesting how the offense performed against a veteran Patriot defense. However, turnovers are a cause for concern, with an interception and a lost fumble. There was also room for several more turnovers with loose ball control at points.

Then again, this is good in its own way. It gives the team intel and more experience to build upon. A mission for the team at practice after this game was to refine things on the technical side. We’ve seen good things out of offense before, but now with region play on the horizon it is about kicking themselves into second gear.

2. Defense shows up again

While there was a lack of experience within Sandy Creek’s offense, the Panther defense found several opportunities to flex their might. The Patriot offense did not crack 100 yards, and managed zero offensive touchdowns.

Defense is something the Panthers have been able to count on this year. Over four games, the Panther defense has limited opponents to 10.5 points per game. Remove the 98-yard kick return touchdown last week and that number drops to 8.75 points per game, including two offensive shutouts. Opposing offenses have also been limited to 241.3 yards per game, and average one turnover per game. 

Because the Panther offense was spotty throughout last week’s game, the defense was forced to pick up the pieces and step up as necessary. With defense a higher priority in the game for both teams, it was about which team was going to break, and which one would outlast the other.

As it would turn out, the Panther defense pulled through once again. It is actually quite remarkable, the second time in a row where the defense made a crucial stop when it mattered the most to get the win. That kind of resilience defines that defense, and proves why they deserve to be feared.

3. Team seems to have the clutch factor

Starr’s Mill can seemingly pull a clutch finish out from the hat week after week. We saw it in the elite eight last year, last week, and now this week. We nearly saw it in the first game of the season. When the game was on the line, this team got the job done.

On the defense, they were subjected to a grueling final Patriot drive that lasted the majority of the fourth quarter. Despite the lengthy drive that brought Sandy Creek all the way into the Starr’s Mill red zone, the Panthers cut them off on a fourth down stop that all but sealed the win if the offense could run out the clock.

Though the offense had trouble at some points throughout the game, they too got the job done at the end. They needed to run the clock out for six minutes, and they accomplished that. To do that they made big plays on third down to keep their drive alive. What this says is that they have what it takes when the going gets tough. And the going is about to get tough.

What to look out for this week

At this point, there is no more battle testing. It is all just real region games, all of which matter if Starr’s Mill plans to defend the region title again this year. If the defense continues to play the way they have, and the offense continues to adjust their weaknesses and improve, this should be a good start to the year. Their clutch factor will also really come in handy.

For their first region game, they will be playing Harris County, who is 3-1 and coming off of a 34-21 loss to Newnan. They will probably be coming with a vengeance, not just from their recent loss, but from their last meeting in the playoffs. This is a crucial first region game that could go any way, and will undoubtedly have many region implications straight out of the gate.

Starr’s Mill hosts the Harris County Tigers this Friday for the homecoming game at 7:30 p.m.