Bonney Lake’s Second Half Surge Prevails Over Decatur

Bonney Lake’s Second Half Surge Prevails Over Decatur
By Steven Dion

Momentum is a powerful force that can build quickly in sports; the visiting Bonney Lake Panthers proved this to be true Thursday night at Federal Way Memorial Stadium against the Fighting Gators of Decatur. The home team got on the scoreboard early with a 69 yard strike from one Isaiah to another: Hatch to Diggs. The junior quarterback looked comfortable in the pocket early and was able to make big plays through scrambling. Hatch found Josiah Goulding for another first quarter score. The second quarter featured a spectacular interception by BL’s Dillon Jordan and a touchdown for the Panthers. Isaiah Weed connected with Jordan from 23 yards out. First half field possession was controlled by Decatur and they appeared to be poised for a win and 24 minutes away from doing so.

Panther head coach Jason Silbaugh must have had a scintillating halftime speech because his Bonney Lake team came out swinging in the second half. The opening kickoff in the third was returned 85 yards for a touchdown by Robert Combs. Just over a minute later, Combs found the end zone on a 59 yard bubble screen pass by Weed. The Panther defensive unit responded to the offensive surge by shutting down the Gator attack. Their front seven contained nicely by eliminating big gains by Diggs. Cameron Goenner of the Panthers even blocked two punts, one for a safety. Bonney Lake scored 31 unanswered points in the third quarter! The fourth quarter was rather uneventful, as the game had gotten away from Decatur. A bright spot for the Gators was a 60 yard run by Diggs for the score with 4 seconds remaining. Football typically requires a full four quarters to win, but for the Panthers tonight, they captured lighting in a bottle in one.

Top Performers:
Bonney Lake
Robert Combs 4 TDs (85 yard KO return, 59 yard reception, 6 yard reception, 10 yard run)

Decatur
Isaiah Diggs 2 TDs (69 yard reception, 60 yard run)