The Saint Jo Panthers won their bi-district playoff game on Thursday night against Leverett’s Chapel.
The Panthers won 74-38 in a game with little drama outside of an injury scare after Saint Jo took a two touchdown lead into the second quarter.
With the Panthers last regular season game against Perrin-Whitt being forfeited due to COVID-19 from the Pirates, Saint Jo came into the game fresh.
The Panthers opening drive of the game saw them gain consistent but small amounts of yards on running plays. They had to convert a fourth down before running back Logan Brawner finally got loose for a 16-yard touchdown run put Saint Jo up 8-0.
The Lions offense featured a lot of short quick passes that forced the Panthers to tackle well in space. Chapel’s players were also willing to freelance with improvised laterals and passes during plays that were clearly not designed with these things in mind.
The Panthers defense forced a turnover on downs near midfield to get the ball back. Two plays later, it was Brawner scoring on a 35-yard run to put Saint Jo up 14-0.
The Lions came back and scored on their next drive. Short passes to their athletic players in space sprung some big plays, ending with a 17-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 14-8.
A deep kickoff pinned the Panthers back on their own nine-yard line, but Brawner quickly made that obsolete. He found the corner and ran for a 71-yard touchdown to end the quarter, Saint Jo up 20-8.
Chapel was not going to roll over though. The Lions offense scored on their second play in the next drive on a 34-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 20-14.
On the kickoff, Brawner got the ball and was trying to hurdle a player. He got upended and flipped violently.
It looked like the Panthers were going to get tested with their best offensive weapon sidelined for the moment as Jonathon Diaz picked up some yards and Cade Stevens finding Jase Johnson on a short pass.
Brawner came back in and scored on a four-yard touchdown run to go up 28-14 as he dove for the corner. He must have felt bad after the dive because he did not play for the rest of the quarter.
The Saint Jo defense picked up its intensity after pushing the Lions back for losses on consecutive plays, forcing a turnover on downs near midfield.
With Diaz running on three consecutive plays, the Panthers faced a fourth and six. Stevens rolled out to his left and found Tyler Cook open for a 27-yard touchdown pass. Stevens completed the pass despite playing most of the game with one of his fingers pointing the wrong way.
Up 36-14, the Panthers especially did not want to let the Lions score before halftime since they would also get the ball to start the second half.
Chapel drove down into Saint Jo territory, getting help with a roughing the passer penalty on third down. The Panthers defense held and forced another turnover on downs to keep the lead heading into halftime.
The Lions offense found some success to start the third quarter completing an 11-yard pass and a 16-yard run to get within scoring range. A bad snap allowed the Panther’s Chance Bennett to dive on the ball to force a turnover at Saint Jo’s own 23-yard line.
Brawner came out with his pads on and looked to give it a go. His first run was for a loss and the coaching staff initially thought he was not himself and put Diaz in. A big run came back because of holding and put the Panthers into a big hole.
Brawner came back in and ripped a 13-yard run to make the fourth down manageable, but Chapel’s defense held to force a turnover on downs at Saint Jo’s 20-yard line. The Lions took advantage scoring on a nine-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 36-20.
In case there was any doubt whether Brawner would contribute for the rest of the night, they were answered on the kickoff. He recovered the short kickoff and took it 56 yards for a touchdown to put Saint Jo back up 42-20.
Chapel would not go away though. The laterals and the freelancing picked up as the game went on. It became harder to make those tackles in space as fatigue came in to play even as substitutions were made.
The Lions drove down the field, converting another fourth down before scoring on another short touchdown pass from eight yards away. Scored in the final minute of the third quarter, Saint Jo’s lead was still solid at 42-26 as long as the offense kept scoring.
The offense obliged as Brawner scored on a 40-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter make the score 50-26.
Chapel continued to show heart though. A Saint Jo player slipping while trying to come up and make a tackle after short completion led to a 37-yard touchdown pass as the Panther defense seemed to struggle more as the game wore on.
The Panthers offense made sure the Lions were never getting close.
After one big run and a missed opportunity in the passing game, another perfectly blocked sweep play allowed Brawner to bust through for another touchdown run, this one from 19-yards out. The kick from Kyler Dunn made it 58-32.
Saint Jo could not catch a break on its next defensive series. A pass interference call and a facemask call helped move the ball down the field.
From there, Chapel was able to score on a 15-yard run as the Panthers could not push the running back out of bounds. The touchdown made the score 58-38 with half the quarter still to play.
Just like the last drive, a couple of runs from Brawner and Bennett eventually led to Brawner scoring from 18-yards out to keep Saint Jo’s spirits high.
Just in case there was any doubt left which team would win, Brawner jumped a pass on defense and took the ball back 55-yards for a defensive touchdown to put the final score on the board.
Saint Jo’s defense forced one final turnover on downs to end the game with a kneel down to end the game, the Panthers winning 74-38.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.