IMA SPORTS

For the second time this season, Maumee hit the road for a difficult matchup — and for the second time, the Panthers had a chance to win the football game on the final possession only to fall painfully short.

Maumee battled toe-to-toe with host Genoa on Friday night, but the Comets escaped with a 27-23 win to improve to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Northern Buckeye Conference. The Panthers dropped to 2-3 and 1-1.

After trailing most of the night, Maumee grabbed its first lead with 6:17 left on Jaxson Greenlese’s 26-yard field goal to go up 23-20. But Genoa answered quickly, driving 80 yards in seven plays and scoring on a 34-yard screen pass to Alex Materni with 2:48 remaining.

The Panthers had three opportunities to bring Materni down on the play but couldn’t finish. Coach Evan Karchner said that has been the defense’s biggest weakness this fall.

“Tackling has been a big struggle for us this year,” Karchner said. “We’ve got to get back to being relentless and finishing plays like we have in past years. I believe during practice, the effort is there, but now we just need to apply it in game situations. Our kids can do it and I plan on seeing improvement as the season progresses.”

Maumee still had two chances after the late Genoa touchdown, but one drive stalled on fourth down and the other ended with a last-second interception on a Hail Mary.

While the result stung and will still go down as a loss, Karchner said it was the Panthers’ most complete effort of the season.

“Even though it didn’t go our way in the end, you could see how much our team has grown,” he said. “The biggest area of growth has been our belief in each other and our ability to respond to adversity. We were in a tight, physical game with a really good opponent, and we kept swinging. That’s a huge step forward for us.”

Maumee landed most of its punches with the running game, outgaining Genoa 156-128 on the ground. Cohen Jones had 66 net yards with a touchdown, and Travis Garrett Jr. added 47 yards. Jones also had a receiving TD in the second quarter.

The Panthers have turned in their two best rushing performances over the last two weeks – 348 yards and two TDs – thanks to vast improvements along the offensive line and from Jones and Garrett.

“Our run game has really come a long way over the past few weeks,” Karchner said. “The offensive line has been playing a lot more consistently, and you can see that confidence building in every game. Cohen and Travis have both been doing a great job of running with more patience letting the blocks develop and then hitting the hole downhill. It’s been a point of emphasis for us, and we’re starting to see it pay off.”

The Panthers also slowed down Genoa star back Luke Clement, holding him to just 22 yards on three carries before he left in the second half with an injury.

But the Comets made up for it through the air, as quarterback Myles Mollenhauer threw for 156 yards and a touchdown. Jaxon Magnone had four grabs for 84 yards.

Meanwhile, Maumee’s usually potent passing game was held in check, finishing with just 73 yards.

Despite the setback, the Panthers’ conference and playoff hopes remain alive. They face Rossford (2-3), Fostoria (0-5) and Otsego (2-3) before closing with contenders Oak Harbor and Eastwood.

“The message to the guys is simple, everything we want is still in front of us,” Karchner said. “We just have to focus on one week at a time, one day at a time. If we keep working, keep improving, and keep believing, there’s no reason we can’t get there.”

Photo courtesy of Pride of the Panthers
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