Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.     At the end of the Nederland Panthers’ first football game of the season, coach Aaron Jones told his team they should hold their heads high. "You made mistakes, but we can fix them." What he liked is the way the boys came back after three quarters of being beat up. The 30-12 score is actually one of the best numbers put up in a game against the Elbert Bulldogs.

There was a great feel to the day. The bleachers were almost filled. When the blue and gold ran onto the field, the Nederland Elementary School's historic bell pealed over the artificial turf as the newly established cheerleaders twirled and shook their pom poms in the team's wake.

Grey clouds feathered the blue sky day just enough to make it feel like fall.

Coach Jones says the team had no idea what  to expect from the Bulldogs when they took the field. The Ned boys were also adjusting to the positioning of 8-man football, so the first half became a long, excruciating lesson on the field.

Elbert kicked off to Ned and then pummeled the Panther runners, leaving them on their own 20-yard line when they were forced to punt. The Bulldogs were in excellent field position to make a couple first downs and then run the ball into the end zone for their first touchdown. They also made the two-point conversion and the score was 8-0.

The Panthers showed some spunk in the next series when Jack Abendroth carried the ball for a first down. Noah Ridnell pushed for another first down and a move into Bulldog territory when an Elbert interception stopped what looked like a promising drive.

Nederland lucked out in the next Bulldog series as Elbert had a couple of false starts that stalled them, and they punted before the end of the first quarter. At this point, it was a game filled with hope for the Ned fans.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Panthers punted after a Dillon first down didn't advance further. When Miles Pancoast dropped on a Bulldog fumble, Nederland had another opportunity that ended up in a turnover.  The Nederland defense stepped it up with Pancoast knocking down a pass and then Ike Thibedeau plunged in for a quarterback sack.

At halftime, the score stood 8-0.  It was still a doable game.

The third quarter began with a 14-play series that took Elbert eight minutes to get to the Panther 22-yard line. A long pass resulted in a touchdown that was called back because of a foul. They again headed toward the goal line, fumbled the ball and recovered it in the end zone for their second touchdown and a score of 14-0.

Coach Jones says, "The TD was a result of a fumble into the end zone which we thought went out of bounds for a touchback.  The refs held a conference and signaled TD instead, which was crushing. That drive really seemed to take a lot out of us and we started making some mistakes after that. Our offense started with another three and out and then the punt snap sailed over the punter’s head."

The Bulldogs ended up on the Panther 20 yard line and the score was 20-0. The Ned boys were disheartened. A fumble led to a short Bulldog run and a touchdown. A kickoff fumble gave Elbert the ball in Panther territory and another TD, plus the 2-point conversion, and the score was 28-0.

The Nederland defense held the Bulldogs’ next onslaught, but held them on the Panther 4-yard line. Ensuing play led to a safety and two more points for Elbert County. 30-0.

With just over four minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs began another drive that carried them in five first downs to the Panther five yard line. Nederland quarterback Mike Wood intercepted the ball and the Panther offense ran with it to the 50-yard line. A Wood pass to Quinn Kuechenmeister was complete and the Panther landed on the Bulldog's 25. Wood, on a keeper, ate up 15 yards and then tossed the ball to Jack Abendroth for a touchdown—the first of the season. The TD was the spark that the Panthers needed.

Nederland stopped the Bulldogs in their push for more points. With 11 seconds left in the game, Wood completed a 25-yard pass to Ike Thibedeau and the Panthers had 12 points and a reason to think the rest of the season will go better than their first three quarters.

Coach Jones says, "I was disappointed that we lost and surprised by the situation we faced by mid-third quarter, but I was very  proud of the team for not giving up, and fighting for those late TDs. Elbert had a great team and they ran their offense well—they will win a lot of games this season.  I think we will, too."

Jones complimented the defense on their tackles and said the team needed to execute better on offense, that they had left a lot of potential big plays on the field. Although the boys just couldn't get it clicking in the first half or third quarter, Jones says it was nice to see them move the ball and cash it in a couple times in the 4th.

"We'll get better this week and work on our execution. We put two TDs on the board and that's a positive. I'm confident we can reduce our mistakes and play well at home this week against West Grand."

In rushing, Jaron Dillon carried six times for 13 yards; Wood carried seven times for 21 yards; Ridnell carried 14 times for 47 yards; and Kellen Sequeira carried twice for 13 yards.

Wood completed seven passes for 70 yards.

Jack Abendroth received three passes for 10 yards; Thibedeau received two for 25, and Kuechenmeister received one for 25.

The Panthers will host West Grand on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be the scene of the Chillin' With Fels Halftime Show: An ALS Ice Bucket Fundraiser. Principal Fels hopes to see many kids and adults offer their heads to a icy shower for a good cause. There will be many a moment to remember.