Panthers face Hub in jambo

By Scott Johnson
General Manager

Hackleburg - The Hackleburg Panthers won their fall jamboree game on Friday, Aug. 20, against the Hubbertville Lions.
Led by head coach Rod Hudson, the Panthers bested their opponent, who are entering their first season with a new head coach Caleb Hynds.
Former Hubbertville head coach Lamar Harris retired this past season, completing a 44-year coaching career.
In an agreement between the two head coaches, the varsity teams played the first half of the game and the second and third-string players competed in the third quarter, followed by the junior varsity team taking the field for the final quarter of the match-up.
The Lions took the first strike of the game, putting 6 points on the scoreboard with 7:07 showing on the clock. a two-point conversion ailed.
With 3:54 remaining in the opening quarter, Hackleburg’s Josh Cooper caught an 18-yard pass in the end zone. The two-point conversion was successful with Joe Carter catching the pass in the right side of the end zone giving the Panthers the lead 8-6.
The Lions were back ahead with a second touchdown with 52.7 remaining in the first quarter. The two-point conversion is complete, leaving the score 14-8.
Daniel Cooper opened up scoring in the second quarter with a catch, making the game 14-14. The two-point was no good.
D. Cooper scored again with 8:23 remaining in the half. And, again, the two-point attempt was no good, making the score 20-14.
The Lions responded with 5:33 remaining with an eight-yard rush. The PAT was no good, leaving the score with a 20-20 tie.
A touchdown and two-point conversion put the Lions ahead 28-20 with 2:48 left in varsity play.
The Panthers turned over the ball with seconds left in the half and were unable to even the score before the JV teams took the field.
Reviewing the game, Hudson stated, “We had some explosive plays on offense, we had some missed assignments on offense. Defensively we gave up a fourth down and missed tackles.  
“Our mistakes are correctable we just have to play more physically and compete on every play we will be ok.”

Hackleburg faces Brilliant at home for its opening game on Friday, Aug. 28.