Last second loss doesn't discourage J-1's - September 28

Simi Valley scored on a 15-yard pass play with 29 seconds left to break a 6-6 tie and take the lead over the Panthers.  Nursing a 14-8 lead, Simi intercepted a desperation pass and returned it for a touchdown to beat the Panthers 20-6 in a very exciting game.

The go ahead score came on a fourth and ten play after the Panthers turned it over on downs on their own 15 yard line.  Having just stopped the Vikings on fourth and goal at the 10 yard line with 1:33 to play, the momentum seemed to favor the Panthers.  Showing the same aggressive style that won the previous game, Coach Armstead had enough confidence in the team to play for the win instead of kneeling down and going into overtime.  But the Vikings came up with 4 great defensive plays when they needed it and the momentum shifted back to them. 

The Vikings took the lead after they opened the game with an onside kick, which they recovered on the Panther 44 yard line, and scored 9 plays later from six yards out.  The Panthers ran only 4 offensive plays in the entire first quarter.

Defensive back Daniel Tolbert intercepted a pass on the first play of the second quarter (his 4th of the season), putting the Panthers in business at the Viking 48 yard line.  Two plays later, quarterback Steven Peralta threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to David Tolbert to tie the score 6-6.  The two-point conversion was no good.

Although the entire second half was played in Panther territory, the defense was up to the task, stopping the Vikings on downs 4 times before finally giving up the go ahead touchdown.  "I had fun", offensive tackle Todd Wooton would say after the game.  "I thought it was cool that Coach (Armstead) tried to win the game at the end.  We all thought we could do it."  The Panthers' dropped to 1-2 and will face the Santa Clarita Grizzlies (0-3) next week at Crespi.  The Vikings (3-0) travel to Santa Clarita Gold (1-2).

J-1's get back on track - September 22

The Panther J-1 squad took a big step in the right direction Saturday as they blanked Westlake Orange 18-0 in their home opener at Crespi High.  Although they were wearing the same jerseys, the Panther defense seemed to be comprised of completely different players.  The coaching staff did an outstanding job of preparing the defense for Westlake's spread formations and it showed in their play.  Gone was the confusion, blown coverages and mental mistakes that plagued them last week against Westlake Blue.  On Saturday they were aggressive and confident throughout the game and came up with big plays each time the Braves' offense threatened.

"They weren't nervous this time", commented coach Jeffrey Armstead about his team's effort.  "They just relaxed and played football.  They had fun".  The defense must've had a blast as they forced 4 turnovers, including 3 interceptions by Daniel Tolbert.  In fact, it was Daniel's twin brother, David, who recovered a Westlake fumble in the second quarter to help setup the Panthers' first score.

Offensively, the Panthers used big plays to get on the board starting with a 69-yard run by Tarrick Brock to give them a 6-0 lead at halftime.  In the third quarter, quarterback Steven Peralta threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to David Tolbert and Nikolas Lyons closed out the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.  Coach Armstead did an outstanding job keeping the Westlake defense off balance by spreading the ball around.  Six panther players had gains of 10 yards or more and the Westlake defense couldn't focus on any one player.  Tremendous blocking up front by Nicholas Leacock, Todd Wooton, Sabastian Camacho, Gabriel Lujan, Tyler Greene and Travis Larson provided gaping holes all day for the Panther ground game.  "We only have about 25% of our offense installed", coach Armstead said after the game.  "They're all still learning".  I can't wait to see this team when they learn the entire offense.  The Panthers travel to Simi Valley next week to face the Red Vikings.

J-1's stumble in season opener - September 14

Westlake Blue used misdirection, unorthodox formations and trick plays to upend the Panther J-1 team 26-6 at Westlake High School.  Starting the game with an onside kick, which they recovered at their 45 yard line, the Braves spent nearly the entire game in Panther territory.  The same formations that caused confusion in the Panther secondary at the SCYSA Jamboree, kept them guessing and on opening day as well as Westlake took a 12-0 lead in the first quarter.

Defensively, Westlake kept 8 players in the box at all times.  There always seemed to be more defenders than the Panthers had blockers, which kept the Panthers' running game in check for most of the game.  You have to give credit to the Braves' coaching staff.  They knew that their team was inferior athletically and almost never ran directly at the Panther defense.  They tried once in the second quarter with first and goal from the Panthers' 7 yard line, but were stuffed in 4 consecutive plays.

There were many positive things to build on for the Panthers in this game though.  They found out that does it in fact take an 8-man front to stop their running game.  The one play in the game where Westlake had only 7 players in the box, Morris Bowman took a handoff off right tackle and broke back across the field for a 56-yard gain.  They found out that their passing game can be explosive if they can protect their quarterbacks.  Steven Peralta completed an 18-yard pass to Tarrick Brock, who broke a tackle at the Braves 30 and raced into the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown. They also found out that their defense is quite stout against a more conventional offense.  They weren't physically manhandled or out-played in the game.  In fact, the Panthers were superior athletically to Westlake or this game would've really gotten out of hand.  All the problems the Panthers had during the game can be fixed easily during practice and I'm sure the coaching staff has already started working on it.  I think we can expect the Panthers to be firing on all cylinders within a game or two.

J-1 Panthers strut their stuff - August 30

The J-1 Panthers overcame poor air quality and a minor case of nervousness to make a great showing in the 2009 SCYSA Jamboree on Saturday.  The air was filled with smoke from the Station Fire, which is raging just north of La Canada-Flintridge and Altadena.  Golden Valley High School, where the Jamboree was held, sits just west of highway 14 in Santa Clarita.

Facing Westlake first, the Panthers held their own against the Braves despite giving up two scores.  Although their offense struggled initially, the defense was stout most of the time.  Westlake's first score came on the 9th play of their first set of 10 plays, but only 4 of those plays were actually for substantial yardage.  The other 5 plays gained a total of about 7 yards, including 4 consecutive plays with next to nothing.  Their other score came on a long pass play.  Westlake lined up in a formation the Panthers had not practiced against and the players couldn't adjust in time, leaving a receiver uncovered in the secondary.  The Panthers scored on a long run during their set of 5 plays, which seemed to boost their confidence.

In the second scrimmage, the Panthers faced Ventura.  Head coach Jeff Armstead seemed to be 2 steps ahead of the Buccaneers' defensive coaches.  They scored 4 times and drove the ball at will.  Defensively, the Panthers kept the Bucs out of the end zone and allowed limited yardage.

The final scrimmage of the day was against Saugus.  The Panthers again proved the potency of their offense with 4 scores while the defense flexed their muscles forcing 4 turnovers (2 interceptions, 2 fumbles).  Although Saugus did manage to score twice, the scrimmage was largely dominated by the Panthers who look to be ready for the season despite minimum practice time.  Considering the fact that it was just their second time in full gear (helmets were just issued on August 27), the Panthers definitely appeared to be one of the teams to watch in the GCYFL's J-1 division this season.