Mabank stays home this Friday night against West Mesquite

By ART LAWLER

MABANK —It has been one of those years for the Panthers.

They’ve been in one tight battle after another in tough District 15-4A.

“There’s probably not a touchdown difference in any of us, ”said Panther Coach Jimmy Cantrell Tuesday.

But a team that started 3-0 against 3A competition has gone 1-4 since.

After last Friday’s 7-0 loss to Lancaster in yet another ferocious defensive battle, the Panthers wind up the 2009 season at home Friday against playoff bound West Mesquite.

They’ll be trying to stop another spread attack, this one fueled by the quick feet and running style of quarterback Terrence Boykin.

West Mesquite owns victories over Lancaster and district co-leader Forney, a team which beat Mabank, 27-11 two weeks ago.

Even though the Panthers stayed in that game most of the way, it is by far, the most lopsided loss for Coach Jimmy Cantrell’s team this season.

At 4-4, Friday night’s game will be the difference in a winning season, or a losing season.

There’s no breaking even at 5-5 because the Mabank-Kemp game was stormed out.

Jordan Featherston will again start at quarterback, even though he’s bruised and battered at this point.

In absence of an effective running game, and lightning quick defensive secondaries, Featherston’s passing percentage continues to take a beating.

Against Lancaster he completed just nine of 28 passes, or 32.1 percent, and for just 81 yards. He and the Panthers were shut out for the first time this season.

To make sure none of the drives ended with points, Lancaster’s talented defenders picked off four of Featherston’s passes.

“Our kids are still fighting hard every week,” Cantrell said. “Had a few things gone just a little differently, we could be 7-1 right now.

The Panthers lost in overtime to Terrell, by a controversial touchdown to Red Oak, and by a touchdown to Lancaster.

If the Panthers win those three and lose to Forney, they’re 7-1 right now, and heading into the playoffs.

As it is, their goals are much more modest.

Still, Cantrell looks for another good effort from his team, a team that very well could drop back to Class 3A next season to play against more teams its own size.

Beating West Mesquite isn’t impossible, but the Panthers will need another outstanding night from the defensive unit, and they’ll have to stop the turnovers.

Mabank has turned the ball over 10 times in the last two weeks, including six turnovers against Lancaster.

“You just can’t do that and win in this league,” said Cantrell, echoing his remarks of recent games.

“These teams have great athletes and when the game shortens, it’s tough to complete passes against some of those athletes.”

The Panthers drove to the Lancaster 15 yard line late in the game.

‘I was already thinking about what we were going to do in overtime,” he said. “I felt like we had the better kicker, and that our chances would have been good.”

Instead, Lancaster got its fourth pick, ending the Mabank threat.

Again.

Mabank had a couple of good drives in the first half with similar results.