Panthers survive Steinbrenner in first round

DR. PHILLIPS  After each of the first two quarters and early in the fourth quarter, Dr. Phillips trailed Steinbrenner, its first-round playoff opponent Nov. 13 at Bill Spoone Stadium.

Despite a pair of D.J. Charles touchdown runs -- the second for 41 yards -- the Panthers' 17 points through three quarters would not be enough, as Justin Moffatt led the Warrior offense throughout the game. He tossed a touchdown pass, ran for another and then extended his arm to barely get a two-point conversion to make it 18-17 Steinbrenner with 10:47 left in the game.

An array of penalties cost Dr. Phillips early, but the Panthers got past shooting themselves in the foot and relaxed more in the second half to get past it, head coach Rodney Wells said.

"We went in there at halftime and said, 'Guys, we're not having fun,'" he said. "That's what we do for a living at Dr. Phillips: We have fun in the weight room, fun at practice and fun at the games. In the first half, we weren't ourselves, weren't having fun -- a little wound tight."

The Panther offense looked tight often, still taking several plays to get first downs after that Moffatt conversion. After a timeout with 7:55 to play, the Panthers converted third and 5 from their 45 with a pass through the middle after avoiding the air for much of the second half. Alvin Bryant followed with a long rush for a first down, and Dr. Phillips suddenly was running on all cylinders at the Warrior 30.

Emare Hogan caught a touchdown pass from Marvin Washington on the next play, putting the Panthers up 23-18 with 6:45 to go.

Just when things were turning their way, a holding call on the Panthers defense negated an interception on the ensuing Steinbrenner drive.

"We can't have the penalties," Wells said. "We got to make sure we're all together at all times. ... We can't have turnovers."

But then a crazy snap over the quarterback's head resulted in Dr. Phillips recovering at the Warrior 16. Although a false start set the Panthers back five yards, Jaquarias Bargnare dashed 21 yards for a touchdown on the next play. An extra point made it 30-18 not even a minute after Steinbrenner had its final lead, and then one of Robert Porcher's multiple sacks on the night deflated the Warriors' last-ditch efforts.

After the game, Wells told his team it would be important to maintain focus regardless of the situation and not fret or mope. He saw some of that despite his team never being down more than one point after Bryant blocked a punt through the end zone for a safety late in the first quarter.

He instructed the team to be sharper Nov. 20 in the regional semifinals versus Manatee, the team that ended Dr. Phillips' season in the regional final in 2014.

"We owe them something, because they gave us something last year," Wells said. "Now it's our turn. It's not about vengeance -- it's about us getting to the next round."

Wells expects to deal with size, physicality and speed against Manatee, likening its strengths to his team's. He said they would be athletic and well coached, making a clean game ever more important.

Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].