The FZN football team continued their winning ways last Friday as the Panthers defeated Troy 42 - 7. The Panthers improved to 3 - 0 on the season. Once again, the Panthers put up a strong offensive effort. Jack Ederer continued his nice season as the Panther quarterback led all rushers with 133 yards on 11 attempts. Ederer was 4/7 passing on the night for 96 yards and one touchdown. The diverse Panther offense scored touchdowns from 4 different players (Cario Payne, Jaylin Vaughn, Jack Ederer, and Mareon Lowery) and Grant Latina added a special teams touchdown with his 90 yard kick-off return for a score to round out the Panther scoring. Jake Triplett accounted for 63 receiving yards and, for the third consecutive week, Panther kicker Owen Sears was a perfect 6 for 6 in extra point attempts.
Defensively, the Panthers had their most impressive performance of the season. Limiting the Troy offense to just one score on the night. Senior linebacker Bryce Rowles led the defense with an impressive 19 tackles on the night. Eli Lewis (11 tackles), Mareon Lowery (7 tackles), and Kyle Mallet (7 tackles) also stood out for the Panthers. Yosef Kropp added an interception and Ben Davis a fumble recovery contributing to the Panther defensive effort.
This Friday (9/7) the Panthers will open conference play against district rival Fort Zumwalt East. The Panthers (2014, 2015, 2016) and Lions (2012, 2013) have combined to win the last five GAC Central conference titles. Kickoff at East is scheduled for 7:00 pm.