Panther miscues hand season opener to Indian Creek, 20-13

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Blunders and miscues buried the Western Panthers at their home opener on Aug. 22 as the visiting Indian Creek Braves snuck away with the 20-13 victory in Russiaville.

Between a pair of kicking mishaps and two interceptions, Western's sloppy play erased spirited efforts from the team to start the season on a strong note.

Western's first possession delivered a bad omen for the home team. Unable to move the ball, the Panthers were forced to punt. The attempt was blocked and returned 50 yards for a touchdown, giving Indian Creek a 6-0 lead.

Neither team found much success on offense over the next 15 minutes or so, but Western finally found the endzone with about five minutes remaining in the second quarter via an 8-yard rush from Matthew McKitrick. The score was knotted at 6 going into halftime.

The third quarter was difficult for the home fans to watch. A mishandled punt midway through the period gave Indian Creek the ball at midfield. The Braves took advantage of the possession, marching down the field and capping things off with a 13-yard run to break the tie and give Indian Creek a 12-6 lead.

Unfortunately, Western immediately handed the ball back to its opponent as Shoemaker threw an interception near midfield. But luck broke the Panthers' way on the ensuing drive, as the Braves coughed up the ball on a first-and-goal from the 15 and added a personal foul to give Western the ball on its own 33.

The Panthers could not capitalize and were forced to punt soon after the start of the fourth quarter.

With little more than four minutes remaining, senior quarterback Levi Shoemaker hit paydirt with a five-yard scamper to tie the score at 12, and a PAT from Mason Conner put the Panthers on top. But the lead would not hold.

With a chance to possibly ice the game with 2:45 remaining, the Panther defense allowed Indian Creek to convert a 4th and 4 at midfield. But a sack by McKitrick for a 13-yard loss shifted the advantage back to Western.

Unfortunately for the home team, Indian Creek quarterback unfurled a 64-yard bomb to receiver Jaxon Ramey for a touchdown. A successful two-point conversion followed to make the score 20-13.

The Panthers had a final drive to try to salvage the game, but an interception with just over a minute to play finished off Western's last chance.

Shoemaker led the offense from under center with 68 passing yards on a 5-for-11 performance that included two interceptions. He added 58 yards on the ground on 14 carries, including a touchdown.

McKitrick passed the century mark by rushing 23 times for 104 yards and a score. He also caught a pair of passes for 33 yards.

On defense, McKitrick led the team with 11 tackles and a sack. Junior Evan Dinn added 10 tackles and an interception.

Conner added to the defensive stat line with a forced fumble, and senior Devin Frazier delivered a blocked field goal to keep the Panthers in the game.

Western will try to right the ship tonight as it travels to North Montgomery to face the 0-1 Chargin' Chargers. The Chargers lost 39-14 at Twin Lakes to open their season last week.

See additional photos from this game, along with photo galleries featuring the Western Marching Panthers, the cheerleaders, and the crowd, courtesy of Adam Hartsough, on the Lantern's Facebook page or group.