Cary, NC — Panther Creek dominated their crosstown rival, the Cary Imps, 40-7 last Friday to bring the all-time series to a 4-4 deadlock. It was the Catamounts’ fifth straight win, bringing them to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in SWAC play for the season. Senior QB Brenden Magner led the way on offense, throwing for 119 yards and 3 touchdowns in three quarters of work.

It didn’t take long for the Catamounts to electrify their strong student section as junior WR Diamante Taylor took the opening kick-off to midfield. Forty-nine seconds later, Magner hit the Catamounts’ leading receiver, junior Caleb Cross, for a 44-yard touchdown. The pass was a short hitch route on the right sideline, but Cross was able to shake off three Imp defenders en route to a footrace down the sideline. After Philip Stone’s extra point split the uprights, the Catamounts would never look back.

The Catamounts’ next drive ended with a turnover-on-downs at the Cary 34-yard line, which would turn out to be a blessing in disguise. On Cary’s first play of the drive, the ball was snapped far over QB Connor Hill’s head. After recovering the aborted snap, Hill’s momentum would carry him into his own endzone, where he was met with force by junior defensive back, Isaiah Laster, for a safety. The play would go into the stat books as a negative 35-yard rush for Hill.

Panther Creek’s Diamante Taylor had yet to make a catch at this point in the game, but took the safety kick-off 30-yards deep into Cary territory on his second return of the game. The effort on special teams would pay off, as Taylor would hit pay-dirt several plays later on an 8-yard reception from Magner on fourth and goal. The touchdown would put the Catamounts up 16-0 to end the first quarter, but the offense wasn’t done yet.

In their first drive of the quarter, the Catamounts were blessed with a short field to work with following an Imp fumble at their own 40-yard line. The 2 minute, 35 second long drive in which the Catamounts would convert on third down three times ended with in junior RB Toney Bass recording his third rushing touchdown of the season. Less than a minute later, senior DB Juwan Byrd would run an interception return back to the Cary 14-yard line. With 4:55 left in the quarter, Magner threw his third touchdown of the game, this one falling into the hands of sophomore WR Justin Smalls, putting the Catamounts up 30-0 to close the first half. All four of the Catamounts’ scoring drives would be initiated inside Imp territory (50, 20, 40, 14).

Three-and-a-half minutes into the second half, Cary would make their sole mark on the scoreboard due to a huge interception return by junior defensive lineman Roderick Perry II. The Imp celebrations would be short-lived. Isaiah Laster returned Jack Long’s ensuing kick-off back 80-yards for a touchdown, marking the Catamounts’ final touchdown of the night.

Senior K. Philip Stone chipped in a 20-yard field goal with 2:26 left in the third quarter, giving the Catamounts a 40-7 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

After the game, Diamante Taylor told @CatamountsLIVE the reason for his motivation, “My family and all the people that came out to watch us.”

Panther Creek (5-1, 2-0) travels to Middle Creek (6-0, 2-0) this Friday (10/10) with SWAC title implications on the line. Last year, Middle Creek won 23-21 off of a last-second field goal to give them the one-game lead they needed to win the conference. senior WR Tre’ Sullivan knows this is a big game for his team, “My sophomore year, we only had one win, but when we played (Middle Creek) we still gave them a battle that came down to the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. Revenge is definitely strong with Coach Crocker (who was the former coach of the Mustangs) and just some of the relationships our guys have with them. Revenge is huge, because we feel like we’re the best team in the conference, and we want to make that a statement.” With the work ethic and confidence the team has showed thus far, a revenge win could be in the cards for the Catamounts.

Key Statistics

In the past two weeks, Isaiah Laster has produced a jaw-dropping stat line: two interceptions, two fumble recoveries (one of which was returned for a TD), an 80-yard KR TD, as well as a sack that resulted in a safety. Laster credited his coaches for his recent form, “Coach Sullivan and Coach Black keep me motivated to play all out every week. I’m really trying to never take any plays off.” The effort has paid off, and Laster hopes it continues in the team’s preparation for Middle Creek, “They’re such a good passing team, so we’re going to need to make sure we keep tight coverage and stay focused all week.”

Quarterback Brenden Magner had posted a completion percentage of 53.8% through the team’s first five games. Against Cary, Magner completed 84.6% of his passes (11-for-13).

Panther Creek allowed seven points against Cary, bringing their season average down to 10.0. That average puts the Catamount defense at the top of the SWAC defensive standings (Holly Springs is second, allowing 13.6ppg). This was the third game of the season that the defense shut out its opponent.