Panthers Wrangle the Victory

The last time the Saratoga Panthers made it past the quarterfinals in the postseason playoffs was in 11 man 2A football in 2007.

The Panthers accomplished a semi-final advancement with another nail-biting game against the Shoshoni Wranglers, the 2A West number one seed on November 1.

“What a great playoff game and exciting win for the Panthers,” said Head Coach Jared Mason. “It has been a long time coming, and I'm so proud of the effort from every player who continues to put in their best effort.”

The game by all accounts was a defensive battle with scoring occurring in a back and forth manner when each team started to put points on the board.

The first touchdown for Saratoga did not occur until the second quarter with Jace Westring connecting with Hazen Williams and Griffin Bartlett making the conversion. Shoshoni led the first half 14-8 with the Wranglers scoring their first points in the second quarter as well.

The game of defense occurred in the third quarter as neither team scored any points.

The fourth quarter was where the excitement ramped up as Bartlett stopped the Wranglers with an interception, and Westring then passed to Dusty Williams for a touchdown and a conversion by Burris Berger.

Shoshoni answered with a touchdown and a failed conversion leaving the score 20-16 in favor of the Wranglers. Saratoga took control and advanced the ball burning up time on the clock with a defining rushing touchdown by Hazen Williams.

With minutes remaining, Saratoga led 22-20.

“Our guys really played their hearts out during the "one-game season" as they didn't want their season to end,” said Mason. “We found a few plays that worked on offense during the second half, and we executed them well with Hazen Williams leading the charge as the workhorse in the backfield.”

Shoshoni had the ball with seconds left in the game, but the Panthers stopped the Wranglers’ charge to get another score with an interception.

“The final defensive play by Newt Williams calling out a screen and then making an interception was surreal as it stopped Shoshoni's last attempt,” said Mason.

With this win, Saratoga continues their best season in 17 years with the next playoff game away at Pine Bluffs on November 8 at 4pm.