If the final score of Friday night’s game — North Panola 14, Charleston 0 — sounds familiar, it should.
The Cougars defeated the Tigers by the same score and at the same venue, Tiger Stadium, during a third-round playoff contest last November.
This time around, the statistics were not as lopsided in the visitors’ favor, but the outcome remained the same.
North Panola improved to 3-0. Charleston fell to 2-1.
While CHS head coach Scott Martin on Monday credited North Panola, he also lamented his own team’s “missed opportunities” in all three phases of the game — from poor punting on special teams, to breakdowns in coverage on defense, and penalties committed in several key situations on offense.
“Overall, our defense played well enough to win, but our offensive and defensive lines on both sides of the ball have to get better. That’s supposed to be a strong suit.”
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North Panola scored bookend touchdowns, in the opening and closing quarters.
Senior quarterback Cadarrius Pride got his team on the board at 1:04 in the opening act on a 68-yard TD pass to Carl Robinson, who ran but failed to convert the two-point play after the score.
At 6:07 in the fourth, that same dynamic duo connected on a 23-yard passing play for a touchdown. Pride found Lemekin Walls for the two-point conversion.
Both teams had some other opportunities in the game.
North Panola fumbled away the ball at the CHS 22 after an eight-play, 56-yard game-opening drive.
A promising Charleston drive in the second quarter ended when a fourth-and-8 pass into the end zone was batted away mere inches from being caught for a touchdown.
The Tigers drove 78 yards in 11 plays, including a 24-yard pass from Bradford to Alfernee Hankins, and Gammage ran for an apparent 2-yard TD at 4:02 in the third, but CHS had 12 men on the field and the score was nullified. The drive ended when a fourth-and-goal pass from the 31 sailed out of bounds.
The Tiger defense rose up on several occasions to keep the score as close as it was.
A short CHS punt took a Cougar bounce and gave North Panola starting field position at the CHS 37 just before the half. After a 32-yard pass on first down, the visitors sat pretty with a first-and-goal at the 5. But on four straight plays — three passes and one run — the Cougars could not gain an inch.
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Offensively for Charleston, Bradford completed 8-of-23 passes for 92 yards. A.J. Wren had three grabs for 37, Hankins had two for 35, Gammage added two for 13 and Markevious Prince caught one for 7.
Keyshun Cashaw led the CHS ground attack with 14 carries for 43 yards. Gammage tallied six for 22 yards.
Defensively, Jamar Taylor set the tone with four solo and three assisted tackles. Tyler Tellis had four solo stops and one assist. Mook Prince and Enochius Harris had four individual tackles apiece. Cameron Chambers, Hankins and Harris tallied one sack each, Hankins caused a fumble and Wren recovered one.
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This week, Charleston travels to take on the 3-0 Senatobia Warriors, fresh off a 35-28 double-overtime win over Lake Cormorant.
“We’ve got to go up there and play hard,” said Martin.
IN THE PHOTO: Charleston’s Keyshun Cashaw carries the football against North Panola Friday night. Cashaw led the team with 14 carries for 43 yards in a 14-0 loss. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
