Clutch interception in the final minutes lead the Panthers to victory

The Panthers fought hard in a back-and-forth battle against the Reedley College Tigers and came out on top with a 20-17 win on Nov. 1 at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento. A clutch interception by defensive back Damarion Taylor shut the door on the Tigers, securing the fourth victory of the season. 

The Panthers started the game off strong with a touchdown, off a 70-yard pass from  quarterback Vince Arcuri to wide receiver Markel Taylor. Their lead didn’t last long as Reedley took decisive action, led by quarterback Jose Soriano. 

Panthers linebacker Fareni Fa’anati got a sack to slow down their momentum, but the Tigers finished the drive with a quick pass to the endzone and took the lead off the extra point.

The following play, hope bloomed for the Panthers, as a 47-yard breakout run by running back Jackson Tallent-Burleson looked to put the game back in their hands, but a holding call on the Panthers put them 10-yards back instead. On the next two downs there was another holding call, followed by a false start to put them at first-and-35. 

The stadium was buzzing with anger from Panthers fans as setbacks plagued any attempts at progress. The Panthers were aided by a personal foul to bring them to Reedly’s 21-yard line all the way from Sacramento’s 8th. The drive faltered soon after. A rush, followed by two incomplete passes, which forced the Panthers to attempt a field goal that was blocked by the Tigers. 

Tigers quarterback Jose Soriano and running back Israel Robles put together 29 passing yards and 23 rushing yards, but their progress was severely dampened by a combined 35 yards of penalties racked up on an encroachment call, followed by two more penalties. This forced the Tigers to punt at their own 37-yard line at the start of the 2nd quarter, however, a fumble by the Panthers on the recovery gave Reedley the ball at City College’s 26th. The Tigers fought their way down to second-and-goal at the Panther’s 3rd yard line when a stray pass by Reedley quarterback Soriano was intercepted by Panther defensive back Luke Armstrong for a touchback. 

The Panther’s drive was short lived when the very next play, they threw an interception to Reedly, defensive back Elijah Alvarado. 

With first down deep in Sacramento territory the Tigers touchdown seemed like almost a forgone conclusion, however the Panther defense only allowed them to gain 3-yards in as many downs, forcing a field goal that was successful, putting the tigers 4 points in the lead with 10-6 score. 

The Panthers offense was unable to get anything going. The Panthers found themselves with the ball with just 55 seconds left in the second quarter. They started strong with a break away pass for 24 yards, but after the catch was completed, a holding call put them back at the 44-yard line, much to the outcry of City College fans. The Panthers were set back further by penalties as two unsportsmanlike conduct calls pushed them deeper into their own territory as the clock reached zero in the 1st half.

The Panther’s first drive of the second half ended in a punt return by Tiger’s running back Tim Saunders, who put the ball at midfield. Tigers quarterback Ty Chambers moved his team down the field with quick passes but was barely held off at the Panther’s 8-yard line. However, two incomplete passes by Panthers quarterback Arcuri, followed by a blocked punt left the Tigers at the 1-yard line. Tiger’s running back Israel Robles was the player to bring it home, and with the extra point good, they extended their lead to 17-6. 

Yet another breakout run by Tallent-Burleson, this time one that went all the way to the house, was canceled out by a holding call that put them at first-and-20. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by the Panthers, followed by a face mask penalty by the Tigers on the subsequent play balanced out. 

Despite the penalties, running backs Tallent-Burleson and Kolten Graef combined for 61 rushing yards, split evenly between them to bring the Panthers just one score away from taking the lead at 17-13. Reedley’s following drive was unable to make any progress after an intentional grounding penalty, and were forced to punt at their own 7-yard line. 

The Panthers battled down the field, going just 38 yards in 5:38. However, in the end, good passing from quarterback Arcuri and rushing from Tallent-Burleson gave them the touchdown they needed to take the lead 20-17 on a 6-yard run to the endzone. 

With 13:30 left in the 4th to get one touchdown, the Tigers were far from out of the game. The Panthers wouldn’t allow their lead to slip through their fingers, as on the Tigers next drive their momentum was brought to halt. Panthers defensive back Rasheem Perry managed to force a fumble, on what would have been a 45-yard gain. Thanks to a swift recovery by defensive back Damarion Taylor, City College got the ball back at their 37. For the next nine minutes of the clock, neither offense was able to make any substantial gains. 

With two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Tigers’ Soriano began to start something significant, as he got 32 passing and 10 rushing yards, all in under a minute, to bring them within striking distance of the victory. In spite of his quick progress, with just 52 seconds left in the game and the Tigers closing in on the endzone, defensive back Damarion Taylor grabbed an interception at the Panthers very own 2-yard line to shut down the Tiger’s last chance of scoring. 

Soon after, the game ended with a Panthers Victory and a final score of  20-17.

One standout of this game was the staggering number of penalties. With both teams combined there were 251 yards of penalties, with 24 in total. 

After the game, City College head coach Dannie Walker expressed how their victory was a testament to the hard work they put in during practice. “We’re excited for the next challenge that’s gonna be presented.” 

One defensive standout was Panthers linebacker Davon Donaldson who had eight tackles, bringing his total this season up to 70. When talking about his strategy he said, “I tried to bait the blocks more instead of just engaging, you know, one on ones [I] use my speed to my advantage.”