Loss to defending champs ends Panthers' playoffs

The Saratoga Panthers football team got off the bus at Saratoga High School around 1:30 a.m. Oct. 29. Hours earlier, a 62-0 defeat at the hands of football powerhouse Upton/Sundance had ended the Panthers postseason, but first-year coach Kegan Willford said the players had many reasons to hold their heads high.

It was Saratoga’s first post-season football appearance since 2011, and an auspicious debut for Willford’s coaching tenure. Because it had been five years since the team last appeared in the playoffs, none of the players had ever tasted the sweet ambrosia of play-off football.

“Hopefully, our season won’t be defined by one game,” Willford told his team. He said getting to the big dance at all was a big step forward, and sounded confident that the Panthers will be a force to be reckoned with in 2017.

Though the end result was lopsided, Saratoga hung tough with the defending state champs during the first quarter, according to Willford.

“We actually scored the first touchdown of the game, but it was called back because of a penalty,” Willford said. A pitch play to Morgan Rempel ended with Rempel in the end-zone after a 35-yard run, but the play was reversed because of a chop-block called on a Saratoga tackle.

Even after that disappointment, Saratoga’s defense held strong and only allowed one touchdown the first quarter, leaving the score 7-0 after 12 minutes.

The Panthers were putting together a strong opening salvo to start the second quarter when misfortune reared its head again. A tipped pass landed in the Bobcats arms, and Upton ran the interception back for a second touchdown to leave things 14-0.

Things quickly unraveled from there, and the score stood at 44-0 at half. “I don’t know if it was momentum or inexperience,” Willford said. The Panthers will have more momentum and experience heading into next year.

Willford called the loss “a tough game,” and described it as “bittersweet,” but he sounded upbeat and eager for training camp next summer.

“I was really proud of the kids,” he said. “The kids were really well-prepared,” he continued. With the Panthers back in the playoff mix after half a decade in the cold, be sure to keep an eye on the gridiron next fall.