Panthers, Assemble!

Hackleburg 34 Phillips 17

By LOUIS MELLINI
Staff Writer

PHILLIPS - After Hackleburg lineman Jacob Rector went down with a major leg injury during the Panthers’ game against Phillips, the players and coaching staff rallied together to win against the Bears in their fiery matchup.
Hackleburg opened the scoring in the first quarter as Daniel Cooper scored a one yard touchdown run after an impressive diving catch which got the Panthers in the red zone.
The Panthers attempted to run in the two point conversion, but Cooper was stopped by Phillips right at goal line.
Just a couple of minutes later, Cooper scored a three yard touchdown run, but the panthers again failed at the two point conversion.
Things became a bit heated in the second quarter between the teams as Hackleburg coaches screamed at referees to get a hold of the game after claiming that cheap shots were being thrown by Phillips players at the end of each play. Even Bear Creek Police Chief Kenny Hallmark was seen speaking to referees concerning how overly-aggressive the game was starting to become.
Cooper continued his scoring form as he scored his third touchdown of the game, running 10 yards and scoring from the two point conversion. In the dying seconds of the first half, Phillips’ Chase Brimer put the Bears on the scoreboard with a 38 yard field goal.
At the start of the second half, Hackleburg’s Carson Swinney scored a 1 yard touchdown and ran in the two point conversion.