Panthers Football falls once again in a heartbreak loss

On October 14, 2017 our Hartnell Panthers traveled to Merced college in hopes of bouncing back on the previous loss against Yuba. Unfortunately, the Panthers encountered another heartbreak loss under the Saturday night lights as they fell in a close game 33-28. Our Panthers are now 3-3 (2-1), has lost back to back on really close games as both were decided in the final drives. Hartnell got on the board first, scoring in the first quarter with 8:14 on the clock after a 90-yard drive led by Quarterback (#11) Devin Daich, which was capped off by 1-yard touchdown run by (#74) Sione Fiefia. Merced would only respond with a field goal in the final minutes of the first quarter, which would bring the score to 7-3 with the Panthers still on the lead. Straight into the second quarter, Hartnell’s offense looked in sync as they built another drive, this one being 78 yards and led to a 2 yard run by (#12) Keishawn Robinson. With the score 14-3 things were looking good for the Panthers, however with time running out towards halftime, Merced found themselves moving down the field. With 29 seconds left Merced pulled off a 17-yard touchdown pass that would bring the score to 14-10 heading into the second half. After a solid first half by the team’s offense and defense, the Panthers looked to break away going into the third quarter. Sadly, Merced’s football team came out firing, shutting down Hartnell and scoring a touchdown right out of the gate, giving them their first lead of the game 14-17. It didn't take long for the Panthers to answer back, as they moved 31 yards up field for a score thanks to a 11-yard pass caught by (#1) J’uan Campbell making it 21-17. Merced retaliated and with power, shutting down our Panthers amazing offense and tearing through for back to back scores, (field goal and one touchdown), that shifted the momentum for the rest of the game as they brought the score to 27-21 to finish the 3rd quarter. For the first part of the 4th quarter both teams played stellar defense, however it wasn't until our Panthers, with under 5 minutes remaining, scored with a 6-yard run by (#12) Keishawn Robinson. Even with Hartnell’s consistent scoring, Merced College would not cave in, and unbelievably with just under 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Merced returned a punt for 53 yards and scored to bring the score to 28-33 after a failed two-point conversion. Unfortunately, our Panthers could not overcome this last play and would eventually fall as the time clock expired. Coach Collins and the Hartnell Panthers hope to bounce back against Cabrillo at home. Go Panthers!! http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/sports/20171021/community-college-football-hartnell-pullsaway-from-cabrillo