The FZN football team wrapped up the regular season portion of their schedule with a resounding 49 – 0 victory over Francis Howell Central. The Panthers now stand at 9 – 0 on the season and by virtue of their record have earned the #1 seed in the MSHSAA Class 5 District 4 tournament. The Panthers will open District play on November 8th.
Against Howell Central, the Panther defense continued to impress as they notched their third shut-out of the season. The stingy Panthers limited the Spartans to just 42 yards of total offense. Leading the way were Robert Rezex, who led all tacklers with 10, Parker Monnig, Chris Futrell, Max Martin and Eddie Angelback. Futrell scored his third defensive touchdown of the season when he returned a blocked punt for a touchdown on the final play of the 1st quarter. Meanwhile, Monnig tacked on another sack to his season total of 21. Two-way standout Izaiah Hartrup got in on the action as he returned an interception for a touchdown in the second quarter. The Panther defense also recorded a safety to score a total of 14 points on the night.
On offense, the Panther triple-option attack once again spread the ball out to a variety of skill-positon players as eight different players carried the ball against the Spartans. Cairo Payne led all Panther rushers with 98 yards. Payne rushed for 4 touchdowns on the night including a highlight reel worthy 45 yard run in the 1st half. Chris Futrell rushed for a workman like 75 yards on just 4 carries, while the reliable Izaiah Hartrup nabbed a Payne pass for 51 yards to round out the Panther offensive scoring. For the season, the Panthers have averaged an eye-popping 48.7 points per game.
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The Panthers will begin District play November 8th as they host Sedalia Smith-Cotton. It marks the first time the two school have met on the gridiron. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm.