Oxford 28 Pell City 21

The Panthers valiantly fought with Oxford in a seesaw matchup that went to overtime this past Friday at Pell City. After Oxford’s Latravious Franks bolted into the end zone with a ten-yard pitch-right that gave the Yellow Jackets a 7-0 lead in the second quarter, Pell City answered right back when quarterback Jermaine Ross split the Oxford defense with an 81-yard quarterback draw to tie the game. Franks and Ross exchanged touchdowns again with runs of 29 and 55 yards respectively. A quarterback keeper by Oxford’s Brody Syer gave Oxford a 21-14 lead at halftime. Ross scored his third rushing touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter, but a stout Oxford defense and two missed field goals by the Panthers late in the game forced the Panthers into overtime and to suffer their fourth loss of the season.

Week 8 matchup: Pell City (3-4) at Chelsea (5-2)

This week is the perfect opportunity for the Panthers to pull off the upset and get one game closer to a playoff spot in their region. Chelsea, who is averaging 35 points this season and began the year 5-0 has lost its last two contests and may have lost some confidence. Last week, Benjamin Russell showed that the Hornets’ defense is vulnerable to mobile quarterbacks, and Pell City has one in Jermaine Ross.

Chelsea is all about the running game. Junior quarterback Matt Marquet burned Pell City last year with his legs, and along with running backs Anthony Jones and Zalon Reynolds, gives Chelsea a deep backfield. Pell City’s defensive coaches will need to rotate in fresh legs on defense in the latter part of the game to stay with the Hornets.