Despite the pain of an ever-so-close loss, Russellville football fans were reminded Friday why they have grown up loving Panther football.
On a pleasant early fall night on that magnificent hill overlooking all of what was known 75 years ago as Knob City, the history and legacy of RHS football was honored before and at halftime of a game for the ages. It came in front of an almost full house of fans ranging from alumni of the 1940s to present-day RHS students to toddlers destined to become Panthers and/or Panther loyalists.
The night was a reminder of the days when virtually every game was played in front of packed stands who cheered and groaned on almost every play. It was a game between two old rivals (their 72nd meeting) who were evenly matched. The outcome remained in doubt until the final minute.
The outcome was not what the folks in the home section on the west side of Rhea Stadium had hoped for. It provided great satisfaction for the visitors on the east side of the stands, representatives of the Land of Logan’s good neighbors to the east, the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats.
Russellville built leads of 14-6 and 20-14, but Coach Doug Preston’s Cats came back to win 21-20.
The Panthers had a chance to come back for the win. Senior end Lee McMurry made a sensational catch under double coverage for a 40-yard gain to the F-S nine-yard line. Desmon Quarles ran for three yards on first down, but Josh Bigbee lost those three yards back on a counter play on second down.
Then on third down, Jaylin McMurry’s pass intended for Coco Darden was intercepted by Wildcat defensive back Tay Jones, ending the drive and essentially the Panthers’ chances of winning. FSHS workhorse Nick Groves ran for nine yards on first down, and then he picked up the clinching first down on the next play.
In the absence of injured running back Jerry Billups, Groves led the Wildcats with 79 yards on 20 carries. The most important yard was the one he picked up with 48 seconds remaining in the third quarter for the tying touchdown. Evan Figert, who had gained momentum for the visitors by catching a touchdown pass from Colton Hurt with 29 seconds remaining in the half, kicked what proved to be the winning point after Groves’ score.
The kicking game caused problems for both teams. Neither had strong kickoffs. Coach John Myers of Russellville usually goes for two points after the Panthers’ first touchdown of each game, but this time he had Milam Watkins—who went into the game with 14 of 16 accuracy—missed, and Russellville never kicked again. Only one of the Panthers’ conversion runs was successful. That was by Darden with 2:50 remaining in the half.
The most costly error in the kicking game was Johnny Drumgole’s fumble of the kickoff return after Franklin had taken the lead. The Cats moved to the Panther 14 but the RHS defense held and regained possession.
Darden ran for five yards and a face mask penalty moved the ball toward Franklin’s goal. Three plays later, Lee McMurry made the great catch. Another three plays later came the interception.
Just as Jaylin McMurry had his ups and downs in the game, Drumgole had one of those good news/bad news nights. A Darden six-yard run for an apparent touchdown was called back on a Drumgole hold, but on the next play Drumgole ran up the middle for a 16-yard touchdown. Drumgole finished with 36 yards on 3 carries. That came long before the fumbled kickoff return.
Quarles had been virtually unstoppable in the early going. He scored the first touchdown by running over people, and he was highly impressive in turning a short pass in the flat to a first down. He finished with 99 yards on 14 carries.
Bigbee scored the second Panther touchdown on an 89-yard run. He finished with 93 yards on 6 carries. Darden, who played running back instead of quarterback for the third straight game, finished with 40 yards on the ground on 5 tries, and he caught a pass for 14 yards.
The Panthers, now 5-1, open district play at Fulton County Friday. John Brett Reynolds and Alex Watkins will be on the air to broadcast the game on WRUS at 7 p.m.
More details about the 75th anniversary celebration of Rhea Stadium will appear in additional articles.