Panthers roll into state's "Final Four"!

The FZN football team continued their winning ways last Saturday with a 42 - 7 victory over the Lebanon Yellow Jackets in Missouri's Class 5 quarterfinal playoff game. With the victory the Panthers continue on their quest to return to Missouri's "Show Me" Bowl. Last season the Panthers finished as the Class 5 State Runner-Up. This marks just their third semi-final game (1977, 2016, 2017) appearance in school history. Up next, the Panthers will face a formidable opponent in Pattonville, who knocked off defending state champion Vianney to earn their place opposite of FZN in the semi-final contest. Against Lebanon, the Panthers were dominate in nearly ever aspect of the game. The defense continued their trend of dominate performances, as the Panthers held the highly regarded Lebanon offense to under 200 total yards in the game. Jaylin Vaughn continued his second half surge with a series of big hits throughout the contest. Vaughn also recover 2 fumbles, including one which he returned 83 yards for a touchdown. Vaughn's fumble return for a touchdown put the Panthers up 21 - 0 early in the 2nd quarter and essentially iced the game for the Panthers. Jacob Triplett continued his fine season as he led all tacklers with 12 individual tackles. Eli Paraham-Lewis (9 tackles) and Bryce Rowles (8 tackles) also had big days for the Panther defense.

On the offensive side of the ball, Mareon Lowery and Cairo Payne each scored 2 touchdowns, while King Rue scored one touchdown to go along with his 100 yards receiving. Jack Ederer threw for 153 yard and 3 touchdowns on the day. Ederer also rushed for 40 of the Panthers 220 rushing yards. The balanced Panther attack amounted for nearly 400 total yards while dominating the game's time of possession. Kicker Owen Sears was a perfect 6 for 6 in extra point attempts. The Panthers have scored at least 42 points in 11 of their 12 games this season.

Saturday the Panthers will travel to Pattonville for the semi-final game. The Pirates enter the game with a 8 - 3 record and have scored notable victories over Vianney and Kirkwood this season. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 1:00 pm.