Panthers claim the title of "Zumwalt" Champions!

The FZN football team remained unblemished in 2019 as the Panthers rolled to a 64 – 26 victory over Fort Zumwalt East last Friday night. The team now stands at 7 – 0 (4 – 0 GAC Central) on the season. With the victory the Panthers can claim the title of “Zumwalt” Champions after having defeated the other three Zumwalt schools (West, South, East) for the 6th straight season. They are the only school in the district to accomplish such a feat.

Against East, the Panther offensive continued to put up impressive numbers as they amassed 486 yards of total offense. Leading the way was Panther QB Cairo Payne who led the team with 157 rushing yards on just 10 attempts while rushing for one touchdown. Payne, who continues to improve as a passer, threw for 144 yards and 2 scores while going 6/9 on the night. The well-rounded Panther offensive got another big night from Izaiah Hartrup who led all Panther receivers with 4 catches for 84 yards. Hartrup also rushed for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Oakes only carried the ball twice all night, but he made the most on his opportunities as he turned each of those carries into Panther touchdowns. Oakes also scored on his only reception on the night, a 45-yard Panther touchdown. Tim Nesslage and Kylen Watson added offensive scores for the Panthers.

The Panther defensive effort was led by senior stand-out Max Martin who led the team with 7 tackles. Parker Monnig and Jalen Owens also stood-out for the Panthers. Owens scored the game’s only defense touchdown when he recovered a blocked punt in the end-zone just prior to the end of the first half.

This Friday the Panthers travel to Timberland to wrap up the conference portion of their schedule. Last season, the Wolves ended the Panthers 5 years winning streak against conference opponents. The Panthers can wrap up their 6th straight season with at least a portion of the conference title with a victory. Kick-off at Timberland is scheduled at 7:00 pm.