NCAFA Minor Football
Panthers come out on top in defensive battle with Bengals
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

The Cumberland Panthers improved their record to 2-0 on Saturday with a 14-0 win over an Orleans Bengals team that is missing three important components from the squad that made it all the way to last year's bantam B-Cup final.

In an early season test for both teams, the Panthers managed to find the end zone twice while the Bengals were kept off the scoreboard by a determined Cumberland defence which has yet to allow a single point this season.

With Michael O'Connor and Quinton Soares both having moved on, the Bengals knew it would take a few weeks to implement a new, more balanced offence with former Panther Javontae Nelson at the helm.

The difference in the game came down to the Panthers' opening drive which ended in a one yard run by quarterback Jackson Bennett and a 72-yard run by Bennett on the opening play of the second half.

Other than those two instances, the Bengals defence did an admirable job especially in the second quarter when they had to stop the Panthers twice on the one yard line.

They kept the Panthers from scoring again in the third quarter when they batted down a pass on the goal line and they made a couple of well-timed interceptions.

Not to be outdone by their east end rivals, the Panthers defence kept the Bengals offence in check the entire game and they never really threatened.

Cumberland will try to keep extend their run of shutouts to three when they face the Cornwall Wildcats next weekend.

(Posted 12:30 p.m., Sept. 3)

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