By Dylan Peyton,
Staff Writer.
The Santa Rosa High School Panthers started off the season with a bang. On Aug. 29, our Panthers played against Novato High School. The game kicked off with senior Rashai Thompson scoring a touchdown off the kick, received within the first 20 seconds. There was no doubt that it was going to be an entertaining game from the start. Thompson said, ”I felt great. I wanted to get one early to get the energy of my team up early in the game to start off strong.” Thompson is a star player on the team and captain along with seniors Daniel Mills and Jonathan Stephenson.
It was hard to predict how our team would compare to Novato, a team that our school hasn’t competed against in recent years. Despite this uncertainty, our Panthers gave them a run for their money. By the end of the first half, Santa Rosa was up by 25 points, with a score of 28-3. Thompson scored two touchdowns and Mills scored another two, with Mills successfully scoring the extra point kicks.
Throughout the game, Thompson achieved a total of 133 yards in 9 carries while Mills got 109 yards in 8 carries. “I think I could’ve blocked better for my teammates to get them opportunities to score,” said Thompson. Seniors Logan Bayao and Stephenson led the game in tackles, always putting themselves in the middle of the action.
In the end, our Panthers won 35-9 against Novato, starting the season off strong with an impressive win. “We all felt the brotherhood that we talk about so often,” said Mills.
The following week, on Sept. 5, our Panthers went up against the Petaluma Trojans in the annual battle for the spiked club. Before the rivalry with the Montgomery Vikings existed, Santa Rosa was rivals with the Trojans. For over 50 years, our football teams have played against each other to decide who gets to keep the beloved spiked club with one side painted orange and the other side painted purple. This past year the club has sat proudly in the trophy case in our Main Building. Sadly, we have to give it away to Petaluma this year after losing 20-41. Until next year, that is.
However, more happened at that game than the loss of the spiked club. In the beginning of the first quarter, Mills went down after a hard tackle, stopping the game. Our school’s athletic trainer, Mercedes Zipperle, ran onto the field to tend to his injury with the coaches by his side. He was then escorted off the field via golf cart with the game resuming shortly after, the team’s and crowd’s thoughts going out to Mills. The injury he officially sustained is a fractured tibia and fibula, which are the two bones that form the lower leg. Mills underwent surgery in order to start the healing process. Mills said, “I think we have a chance to have a really good year and I think the team will make it happen,” maintaining hope in his team.
Mills wasn’t the only one to have an injury, as Stephenson also suffered an injury; luckily, not a season-ending one. In the same game, Stephenson got caught up in a bad tackle and broke his thumb, the ligament tearing from the bone. As long as he wraps his hand with foam, he is able to play in the games. The injury will take about five weeks to fully heal before Stephenson can play without wrapping his hand.
Our Panthers continued to fight the rest of the game, doing their best to not let what happened affect them. Their fight especially showed when senior Israel Gomez–Noriega made a great tackle, saving the Panthers from another Petaluma touchdown. The team fought hard against the Trojans, keeping it neck and neck for most of the game. The Trojans unfortunately were victorious after scoring two pivotal touchdowns in the final quarter.
With eight games more in the season, the Panthers have many more opportunities to win and show off their skills. “I’m still excited for the rest of the season to win games and go to the playoffs,” said Thompson. Our Panthers will have to fight harder for each game after losing Mills. “Losing Daniel is gonna be a big struggle for us to get through as he has a really big role in our team,” said Thompson. But there is no doubt that the team will continue to flourish throughout the season.
Rashai’s interview:
“I felt great after the first touchdown because I wanted to get one early to get the energy of my team up early in the game to start off strong.
i think i could’ve blocked better for my teammates to get them opportunities to score
i’m still excited for the rest of the season to win games and go to the playoffs but losing daniel is gonna be a big struggle for us to get through as he is a really big role in our team. we just gotta figure it out and keep pushing”
I used a good amount of this in my article but in case you need some of it.
