The Fort Zumwalt North football team defeated rival Fort Zumwalt South last Friday by a score of 49 - 14. The Panthers now stand at 5 - 0 (2 - 0 conference) on the season. With this victory, the Panthers maintained possession of the traveling helmet trophy awarded to the winner of each year's regular season game. The Panthers have won the last nine regular season contests between the two schools. The Panthers scored a season high 49 points. Offensively, Cairo Payne once again stood out for the Panthers. Payne rushed for 92 yards on just 3 carries, including a 80 yard touchdown romp. Payne also caught 4 passes for 78 yards to lead all North receivers. Izayah Hartrup continued his fine season as he rushed for 81 yards on 6 carries with two rushing touchdowns. Joel Hilliard and Dylan Estes both added rushing scores for the Panther offense.
Defensively, the Panthers were once again led by "Big" Jaylin Vaughn. Vaughn incredibly had two fumble recoveries for touchdowns. His 37 yard return in the 3rd quarter essentially sealed the game for the Panthers. Vaughn also recorded 4 solo tackles to go along with 4 assists. Other defensive standouts on the night include: two-way player Cairo Payne who, in addition to his big offensive night, recorded 6 solo tackles to go along with 2 assists and Max Martin (5 solo tackles and 4 assists). Izayah Hartrup added an interception to round out the Panther defensive effort.
This Friday, the Panthers travel to Washington for a GAC Central match-up. The Blue Jays are 2 - 3 on the season and were defeated by Wentzville: Liberty 20 - 7 in their most recent contest. Kick-Off at Washington is scheduled for 7:00 pm.