The lights of Farris stadium are shining bright once again as the football team faces off against the Taft Raiders. Senior David Dodd lead the Panthers to a 45-14 victory. Dodd stated that a drive for his success is his relationship with his father.

“My dad has always put myself before him, and seeing the late nights he works or how early he gets up in the morning is just inspiring,” Dodd said.

Injury is something that deprives several football players in every kind of league, but Dodd shares that he is unafraid of injury during a game. In many games played

by the team, especially this year, risks of ACL tears and physical injury are factors. The atmosphere that is created by the fans and intensity of the game drives fear out of the minds of the players.

“That doesn’t even really cross your mind when you’re playing the game. If you were to get a twisted ankle you wouldn’t feel it till the next day,” Dodd said.

As a member of the senior class, Logan Parr has experienced four years of high school football, facing off against many opponents. Parr shared his experiences in football on and off the field.

“I’ve been able to talk to a lot of really good people; there were a lot of nights where I would spend two hours after practice talking to coaches, and it can be hard to balance that,” Parr said.

Being a rare case, he achieved varsity football his freshmen year as an offensive lineman. Parr revealed the identity of his most admired coach, this coach being offensive line coordinator Bob Weeks.

“Coach Weeks has been there for me ever since my freshman year. When I was on varsity he really helped me through tough times,” Parr said.

Running back Zion Taylor says that he is very involved with the football team. Being a starter, he shares why he chose football as opposed to any other sport.

“I like the environment. You get to interact with your teammates, and it’s more of a family to me,” Taylor said.

Taylor stated that his mother was the reason he initially went into the sport. She had put him in a league when he was eight, and he has continued to play all they way to varsity.

“When I was eight my mom asked me to join this team. I did and just went from there,” Taylor said.

The Panthers have a lot of expectations going into the 2019 season, finishing first in the division 28-6A with a 10-1 record in 2018.

They plan on repeating their undefeated district season, and hope to make the playoffs again, as they have done in the past few years.

On September 13th, Coach Males- ky led yet another victory against the Warren Warriors with a score of 35-21 after defeating the Holmes Huskies on September 7th with a score of 38-0.

The Panthers kicked off the season against the Steele Knights on August 30th. However, the Knights beat the Panthers 43-31 for the first time since the 2016 season.