It was senior night for Sebastopol last week against French Camp with a huge crowd on hand.
But it was a night that Sebastopol would like to forget.
The Bobcats weren’t able to keep up with the Panthers who scored the last 21 points of the game and took a 42-14 win.
Sebastopol falls to 7-3 on the season and 4-2 in Region 3-1A. The Bobcats will travel to Hamilton on Thursday with playoff positioning on the line.
First-year coach Keith Brown said the Bobcats came out flat and had a hard time stopping the Panthers.
“We just did not come out with great energy for whatever reason,” Brown said. “I have been saying that French Camp was a lot better than their record and they just put it on us. We got beat in every phase of the game. It was senior night and there are always a lot of emotions and we had a great crowd, and the stage was set, and we just didn’t perform and I’m disappointed in that.”
The Panthers struck early when Ethan Wright hit Avery Summers on a short pass that the junior took 81 yards for a touchdown. Reese Churchill hit the PAT and French Camp took an early 7-0 lead.
Sebastopol responded with a time-consuming drive as they went 51 yards in 13 plays. Kari Michaels hit Tyler Perkins on a 5-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed and French Camp held a slim 7-6 lead.
The Panthers then went on their own long drive as they went 69 yards in 10 plays. Wright went to the air again as he hit Silas Hodge on a 16-yard touchdown pass. Churchill’s PAT was good and French Camp led 14-6 at the end of the first quarter.
After the Bobcats turned the ball over on downs, French Camp went 76 yards in 10 plays as Wright hit Summers on a 10-yard touchdown pass. Churchill’s PAT was good and French Camp led 21-6.
The Bobcats then returned the ensuing kick as Luke McGarrity raced 67 yards for a touchdown with 1:58 left in the first half. Michaels hit Jess Johnson on the two-point conversion and Sebastopol cut the lead to 21-14.
But the Panthers didn’t sit on their lead as they went 46 yards in five plays as Wright hit Logan Miller on a 10-yard touchdown pass right before the half. Churchill hit the PAT and French Camp led 28-14 at the half.
“They got in that two tight sets and were able to slip some kids out and we had a couple of busts and gave up some big plays,” Brown said. “No. 22 is a big physical runner, and the quarterback is a really big kid and a good player. They did a good job with play action and hit those. It just wasn’t our night and they played really well. But we don’t have time to sit around and mope and feel sorry for ourselves. It’s a short week and we play on Thursday and are fighting for a two seed right now. We have to bounce back in a hurry.”
Sebastopol got the ball to start the second half, but Michaels was intercepted by Summers. The Panthers then went 85 yards in 10 plays as Wright scored on a 17-yard run. Churchill’s PAT gave the Panthers a 35-14 lead.
The Bobcats turned the ball over on downs on their next two possessions while French Camp finished out their scoring as they went 49 yards in seven plays. Wright scored on a 2-yard run and Churchill hit the PAT to give the Panthers a 42-14 lead.
The Bobcats had their worst night of the year on offense with just 45 yards rushing and 87 passing for 132 total yards. Michaels was 12-of-27 passing for 87 yards with one TD and one interception. David Williams had 26 yards rushing on eight carries.
Presley Boykin had 34 yards receiving on two catches while Jaylin Hughes had 22 yards on two catches.
