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The Pelham Panthers took a tough road loss to Pell City in the opening game of the season as they look for improvements in the early stretch of the year. (For the Reporter/Tracy Wood Franklin)

By SCOTT MIMS | Special to the Reporter

PELL CITY – The Pelham Panthers came up short in their season opener on the road Friday night, Aug. 23 versus Pell City, 35-7.

The game served as a litmus test for both sets of Panthers—while Pelham’s roster had several younger players stepping up to key roles, Pell City had a new coach on the sideline.

“I thought we came out and played well early on,” Pelham coach Mike Vickery said, giving credit to his players for putting up points but noting some missed opportunities to capitalize on plays inside the 5-yard line.

“We’ve got to get better at each position; that’s why you play these early season games against good opponents—it shows you where you are, things you’ve got to get better at,” he continued. “We will go back and get to work and be a better football team next week.”

Things got off to a slow start as Pell City missed a 31-yard field goal attempt, and nobody scored in the first quarter of play.

Pell City’s D.J. Verges was first to cross the goal line on a 46-yard rushing touchdown with 4:24 in the second quarter. With about a minute left, a Pell City interception set up another TD as Jemareo Clegg caught a 6-yard pass, resulting in a 14-0 halftime score.

With 8:21 in the third, Izaiah Smith scored on a 43-yard run, putting Pell City up by three scores. Another short touchdown pass and successful PAT at the 2-minute mark stretched their lead to 28 points.

As the fourth quarter loomed, Pell City was not done. Verges broke through from the 1-yard line with 9:25 on the clock, and combined with the PAT, made the score 35-0.

But with just 1:19 left in the game, Pelham’s Dylan Smith connected with Tristan Darden for a 5-yard touchdown to put Pelham on the board. The extra point attempt from Jake Garner was good, but time would run out before they would have a chance to build on that momentum.

Next week, Pelham will take on Oak Mountain in the Panthers’ home opener on Friday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.

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