Panthers take fifth-straight A-Game victory over Aberdeen
Oct. 1—AMORY — A rivalry as old as time had a familiar face hoisting up the trophy, as the Amory Panthers took down Aberdeen for the fifth-straight year in a 55-20 win on Friday.
"I'm proud that we got this win against our rival, but we've got to clean up some things going forward," Amory coach Brooks Dampeer said. "We played with great effort all night, and I can't say enough about Jatarian (Ware). He did it with his feet and threw the ball extremely well."
Amory got on the board first after a long 14-play drive was capped off by Emmanuel Randle with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Panthers added to their lead late in the first with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Ware to T.J. Parks, increasing the score to 14-0.
The Bulldogs responded with a score on a 5-yard run by Jermaine Strong to cut the score to 14-8 after the two-point run by Jeffery Sykes. Ware used his legs to pick up another touchdown for Amory on a 1-yard run after another long drive to start the second.
The Panthers went into halftime with a 27-8 lead after Ware connected on a 58-yard touchdown pass to Randle. Amory's momentum carried over to the third quarter as Walker Maranto came away with an interception, which set up a 10-yard touchdown run by Ware to increase Amory's lead to 34-8.
Aberdeen trimmed into the lead with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Strong to M.L. Fort, but Amory quickly responded with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Ware to Jaydon Allred to go up 41-14.
Ware added to his totals with his sixth touchdown of the night on a 49-yard pass to Isiah Smith, and Charleston French extended the Panthers' lead to 55-14 to end the third. Strong found the end zone on a 15-yard run as the clock ticked down.
"I have to be the leader," Ware said. "That's my job as the quarterback to be the captain of this team."
Extra Points
Turning Point: After an interception by Maranto, Amory went up 34-8 with a 10-yard touchdown run by Ware.
Point Man: Ware finished with 243 passing yards and six touchdowns for Amory.
Talking Point: "We're not going to put our heads down and cry about it. We're going to get back to work and try to get a win next week." — Aberdeen coach Alex Williams
Notes
—Dylan Thompson and Jaydon Allred each came away with takeaways for Amory's defense.
—Amory will hit the road to face Hatley next week, while Aberdeen will face Nettleton at home.
