The Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers fell to 4-2 after losing a close game at home Nov. 5.
In their last game of the regular season, the Panthers fell 18-12 to Chilliwack’s G.W. Graham Grizzlies in a tough game that saw both teams find success with their ground games, but limited results with their passing games.
In the first half, the Grizzlies struck first, after they ran back a Tweedsmuir fumble 30 yards for paydirt.
Chilliwack added to their score to go ahead 12-0 when their quarterback ran in a short play for six points.
Tweedy finally replied when quarterback McCord Leeson tossed a ball to Jace Atkinson who darted in for a 52-yard TD.
And running back Reggie Elie tied the game at 12 when he ran in a short-yardage score before the end of the first half.
Still tied a 12 well into the third quarter, the Panthers and the Grizzlies traded the ball back and forth after unsuccessful drives.
The teams seemed evenly matched and it wasn’t until the end of the third quarter that the game tilted in the Grizzlies’ favour.
With about five minutes to go in the third, the Grizzlies engineered a long drive from near their own goal line. The drive was ground and pound as the Grizzlies’ run game beat back the Tweedy D a few yards at a time.
After marching the length of the field, the Grizzlies crossed the Panthers’ goalline to notch six more points on the scoreboard, lifting their lead to 18-12.
In the fourth quarter, both teams had short drives that ended with punts. Tweedy fought hard to get those six points back late in the game, as the Panthers drove deep into the red zone in G.W. Graham’s side of the field.
But the Grizzlies put up a strong wall on defence and stopped Tweedsmuir twice in the dying minutes of the game.
With the loss, the Panthers dropped to third in the AAA East division standings. They’ll host the South Delta Sun Devils (2-5) in a wildcard round playoff game Nov. 12 at Cloverdale Athletic Park. Kick off is at 1:30 p.m.
The winner of that game will play the winner of Notre Dame (6-1) and Mt. Boucherie (4-1).
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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