Gameday Takeaways, Week 5

Region play finally commenced last Friday as Starr’s Mill hosted the Harris County Tigers in their first region game. Starr’s Mill came out on top by a score of 14-10 to get their first region victory of the season. Here are three things of note from that game.

1. A new breakout runner enters the fray

He may be late to the party, but sophomore running back Greigh Joseph made a huge impact in only his third game with the Panthers. He carried the ball 13 times for 60 yards, ranking second on the team. He also scored two touchdowns for the Panthers.

“[Being able to show my abilities] is a great feeling really,” Joseph said. “Just to put my name out there, people know who I am, it’s just a dream come true really.”

Joseph proved to be an all-around talent. He was able to run with some speed, and power through defenders when he needed to. His style parallels junior Brandon Mathis, who can do it all as well, just with a tad more experience. Producing several viable backs to utilize is something the Panthers have always been good at, and here they are doing it again.

This adds another good back to the list. Joseph, Mathis, and senior Devin Barnett — that is three reputable backs the team has in rotation. That does not even get into sophomore quarterback Will Yarbrough’s running abilities, and other solid backs on the team. This set of backs truly bolsters their abilities and aids their play overall to improve offensive potential.

2. Harris County’s quarterback provided a formidable challenge

On the other side of the ball, the defense had to handle a dangerous dual-threat quarterback in junior Cooper Corey. Throwing the ball, he completed 14 of 23 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. On top of that he rushed the ball for 13 carries to rack up 50 yards, leading the team.

What is remarkable is how the Panther defense limited his contributions to only a single touchdown. Even then, that touchdown came after three juggling catches, which is something that is extraordinarily commendable by the receiving core. Corey was limited to only 5.9 yards per pass and only a 60% completion percentage.

Corey has been one of, if not the, biggest threat under center the Panthers have faced. He was only able to make a few 15+ yard plays throughout the entire game. Limiting his efforts shows how the Panther defense can shut down any dangerous threat. Keeping their productivity low and putting them on lockdown is a statement about the might of the Panther defense.

3. If the culture of hard work was not evident, it is now

Culture may be one of the most overused sports terms out there. Fakers will use it to make it sound like their team is better on the inside than people think. However, I not only believe Panther football’s culture is the real deal, but they are backing it up every single game.

Four out of five weeks, Starr’ Mill has been in some sort of situation where the game was down to the wire. Game one did not go their way due to the green nature of the team. Game three, the offense came through and the defense followed suit. Last week, the defense made a red zone stand and the offense ran five minutes of game time. This week, they again pulled off what they did last week.

“Number one we got great kids. The culture is so good because of the history of this place,” head coach Chad Phillips said. “Our staff is an incredibly strong coaching staff, and we got multiple guys that could be head coaches and coordinators, and they love this place. They love being a part of this, and when everything’s going well, it’s a whole a lot of fun.”

If their culture of hard work did not exist, then the results would speak for themselves. The results do speak, and they speak volumes of the work the team has put in. Nobody knew exactly how good the offense would be, but seeing them in action clearly shows that they are improving week in and week out.

Having this level of tenacity is crucial now. Every game counts and they cannot take any opportunity for granted. There is a reason right now why the Panthers are considered a threat.

What to watch for next week

We may have just crossed the halfway point of the season, but the work has just begun. This week, they will travel to Newnan to take on the 2-2 Northgate Vikings. Northgate has proven through non-region play that they are a competitive team meant to be taken seriously. They are a wild card in the region who can make big wins if they play it right.

Northgate is also coming off of a bye week, so they have had time to prepare for the Panthers. The Panthers should be going there for business, ready to take them down. Starr’s Mill can absolutely win, but we will have to see whatever may happen this Friday.

Starr’s Mill will travel to Newnan to take on Northgate this Friday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.