Panthers end the season with a complete victory over Bloomingdale,  40-0

The Panthers sent the Seniors off with a fantastic all around effort in routing the homestanding Cardinals on Friday night, 40-0.

Things started off quickly for the Panthers who picked up 25 yards on their opening play, a run by Senior all everything QB Kevin Bryce.  Not long after Bryce found Senior WR Cory Barker for a 8 yard TD hookup.  The defense did their part to contribute to the Panthers fast start as Junior LB Collin Buck picked off a Bloomingdale pass to halt their drive.  The Panthers took no time in capitalizing on the turnover as Senior RB Tyler Carr took a handoff on the second play after the INT 33 yards to paydirt. 

Carr, who missed 2 1/2 games early in the season and was probably not 100% until week 6, has played fantastic football over the final four weeks of the season.  The one-two punch of Bryce and Carr running the ball was key in the Panthers strong three out of four finish.

As the second quarter began the Panthers found themselves up 13-0 and driving, but a fumble deep in Bloomingdale territory stopped the drive.  However, the defense stepped up again causing another turnover, this time a fumble to give the offense the ball back.  Bryce wasted no time in finding Barker for their second TD connection of the night, this time from 12 yards out.  On the ensuing Bloomingdale possession Bryce went to work on defense picking off of Cardinal pass and weaving his way through would be tacklers on his was to a 33 yard return for a TD.  Bloomingdale then put together a solid drive getting inside the Watervliet 10 yard line, but as they were all night the defense was up to the task.  Bryce again went to work on defense stripping the Cardinal ball carrier and causing the 3rd Bloomingdale turnover of the game.  The offense then went on a 96 yard march that culminated in a third Bryce to Barker TD strike, again from 12 yards out.  Long passes to Senior Wide Receivers Alex Faultersack and Anthony Johnson were key in setting up the score.

As the half was coming to a close Bloomingdale had its best scoring opportunity of the night.  However, with the Cardinals earning 1st and goal at the Panther 2 yard line, the defense went to work.  Led all night by Senior LB Tyler Schultz, who seemed to be everywhere, the Panther defense stuffed the big Cardinal tailback on 1st and 2nd down for a net loss of one yard.  Then the pass defense stepped up on 3rd and 4th down as passes fell harmlessly to the artificial turf.  After the big goal line stand the Panthers hit the locker room up 33-0.

The third quarter saw more of the same as both the defense and the offense executed very well.  Bryce picked off another pass attempt to set up the Panthers final score of the game.  Mixing runs with Bryce and Carr along with a long catch and run by Corey Barker the Panthers found themselves at the Bloomingdale 2 yard line.  Bryce found Barker for their 4th TD of the night.  For Barker this capped an incredible three game finish to an outstanding career.  Barker, a three year varsity starter, tallied 27 catches for 300 yards and 5 TD's over the last three games.  In all Barker had 59 catches on the season for 650 yards and 8 TD's.

The defense, which played fantastic all night, caused 5 Bloomingdale turnovers on the night.  This included yet another strip and fumble recovery by Junior Defensive End Max Goodrich, his third strip and recovery of the year.  Statisticly Tyler Schultz led the way once again with 20 tackles, including 6 for losses.  This capped a tremendous career for Schultz who led the Panthers in tackles in all 18 games of his Junior and Senior year.  Schultz ended his Senior campaign with 153 tackles (23 for losses and 3 sacks).  Kevin Bryce also finished off a great defensive year with 10 tackles, 2 INT's (one returned for a TD), and 1 forced fumble.  Junior linebacker Joe Isbrecht continued his solid play with 7 tackles.  Goodrich, Senior LB Kyle Garland, and Junior LB Collin Buck each added 5 tackles.

Offensively the Panthers finished off a great year in which they averaged over 30 points and 350 yards of offense per game.  Bryce finished the night 13/26 for 192 yards, 4 TD passes, and no intereceptions.  For good measure he added 9 carries for 64 yards.  Tyler Carr also had 7 carries for 56 yards and 1 TD to complete the one-two backfield punch.  Barker led all receivers on the night with 8 catches for 108 yards and 4 TD's.  Alex Faultersack, the teams second leading receiver (35 catches, 409 yards, 5 TD's, four 2-pt. conversions), caught 3 passes for 47 yards.  Anthony Johnson and Junior WR Tim Flagel each had one catch for 35 and 2 yards respectively.

Worth noting is the end of the fantastic career of Kevin Bryce.  Bryce, a three year varsity starter, finished the season completing 57% of his passes for 1,711 yards and 19 TD's versus only 6 INT's.  He also led the team in rushing for the third consecutive season amassing 849 yards and 15 rushing TD's.  Bryce finished his career at Watervliet passing for over 3,000 yards and rushing for over 2,000 more.  For good measure Bryce was second on the team in tackles, tied for the lead in INT's, and kicked 23 extra points this season.  A truly incredible player, and more importantly person, who will be missed.

Next up for the Panther football team (4-5, 2-3) is the annual banquet.  This season's banquet is set for Thursday, November 6th at 6:00 p.m.  A letter will be sent to all players and their families with more information.  Check back after the banquet for information on who won the end of season awards, who earned all-conference honors, and a preview of who is coming back and what to expect for next season.