Panthers Hammer Fort Valley State

Following their loss to West Florida two weeks ago and the cancellation of the game last week against North Alabama, the Florida Tech football team came out Saturday against Fort Valley State running on all cylinders and coming away with a 48-14 win on Homecoming Saturday.

“The last 14 days have been kind of crazy with all the things that have happened but we were obviously excited and it brings up the energy level when we can come out here and have a performance like this,” said Panthers head coach Steve Englehart. “Out here is the players and coaches’ sanctuary, its where you forget about everything else. It’s good to get our swag back and get back on the winning track.”

The 48 points by the Panthers is a school record for points scored in a home game.

Quarterback Mark Cato only played the first half of the game, but he did a lot of damage in that time, rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for two more. He accounted for 166 of the Panthers 439 total yards.

Things got off to a quick start for the Panthers, as Gary Holmes took the opening kickoff back 89 yards to the Fort Valley State six. It took just three plays for Cato to find Dalin Modican in the back of the end zone, for a five-yard touchdown, with just 1:45 gone in the game.

Florida Tech (5-1) followed that up with a 93-yard drive, helped by five Wildcat penalties, including an unsportsmanlike conduct call against the sideline that came shortly after the sidelined had received a warning. Cato finished the drive with a five-yard run, that put the home team up 13-0. It capped off a 12-play drive that ate up 4:45.

The Panthers were driving again on their next possession, with Trevor Sand rushing for 16 yards and Kenny Johnston catching a 12-yard pass, setting the Panthers up in good position. Unfortunately, Cato was picked off a couple plays later by Brian Walker at the five and he returned it 53 yards, stopping what could have been another promising drive.

“We still have to make sure that we’re throwing the ball where the defense tells us to throw the ball,” said Englehart. “I thought Mark did really well except for the one throw, on the interception, but we still have some offensive line issues too, we have to finish blocks better.”

The Wildcats (1-6) started the second quarter having to punt and Florida Tech wasted no time getting on the board again, as Brandon Ziarno came in at quarterback and threw a short pass to Wayne Saunders that Saunders took 70 yards for the score.

Originally on the play, it looked like Saunders was tackled just before the goal line and fumbled, with the ball being picked up in the end zone by Florida Tech, which would have been a touchdown anyway, but the officials ruled that as Saunders was going down, he reached the ball over the goal line, for the score. That made it 20-0 with just 20 seconds gone in the quarter.

After Fort Valley State had the ball for only 58 seconds on their next drive, the Panthers offense went to work again, with Holmes catching an 18-yard pass and Modican pulling one in for 14. Cato polished the seven play drive off with a one-yard run and put the Panthers up 27-0.

The Florida Tech defense stood tall again, holding the Wildcats to a four-play drive and taking the ball 49 yards on the ensuing possession, with Cato’s 17-yard jaunt making it 34-0 with 5:25 left in the half.

Fort Valley State finally broke through on their next possession, going 82 yards in eight plays. Quarterback Domontay Jones found Otis Brown with a 13-yard pass, resulting in the first Wildcat touchdown of the day and making it a 34-7 contest.

Florida Tech answered back with a 10-play 74-yard drive that featured runs of 18 and 16 yards by Antwuan Haynes and a 19-yard touchdown catch by Johnston, with just 53 seconds left in the half. The Panthers took that lead into the locker room.

Cato finished 12-of-19 passing for 140 yards and Ziarno was 4-of-5 for 95 yards and a touchdown.

The Panthers rushed for 120 yards in the first half, while the defense held the Wildcats to just 10 on the ground. Florida Tech ran 46 plays in the half, compiling 330 yards. Fort Valley State ran 26 plays for 128.

As you might expect, the Panthers took their foot off the gas pedal just a bit in the second half, getting some second and third string guys some work. Ziarno and Ryan Singer each saw time at quarterback. The only Florida Tech score of the second half came on a one yard run by Haynes with 2:54 left in the third. It capped a 76-yard day on the ground, on eight carries.

Chauncey Jackson scored the only Fort Valley State touchdown of the second half with 1:42 left, after a four-yard run. That closed the book on a 48-14 game.

For more info: Fort Valley State @ Florida Tech Box Score

Coach Englehart said he was happy with the win as you would expect, but he said things got sloppy in that fourth quarter with guys taking their pads off and things getting a little loose on the home sideline. He took responsibility for that and said it won’t happen again.

Next up for the Panthers is a Gulf South Conference showdown at West Alabama, next Saturday. The start time has been moved up to 3:00 p.m. Please note that change, as the original scheduled start was 7:00 p.m.


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