Staff Reports

SPRING GARDEN – After losing two games in row for the first time since 2017, the Spring Garden Panthers rebounded in a big way on homecoming Friday night against Victory Christian.

Chapel Pope caught two passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 112 yards on seven carries and scored another touchdown in leading the Panthers to a 41-7 Class 1A, Region 6 football win.

Pope got the Panthers (2-2, 1-1) on the board with 10:14 to go in the first quarter on an 8-yard run. Following Clayton Sadler’s 1-yard score at the 4:05 mark of the first, Pope scored again on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Noah Barber. The Panthers led 20-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Connor Bates, who ran for 102 yards on 10 carries, accounted for two touchdowns in the second quarter on runs of 5 and 19 yards. Pope added a 2-point conversion on the first, which helped Spring Garden post a 35-0 lead at halftime.

Bates also had an interception on defense.

Pope capped Spring Garden’s scoring with an 88-yard touchdown catch from Barber with 4:07 remaining in the third quarter.

Victory Christian (2-2, 1-1) scored its lone touchdown with a little over five minutes left in the game for the final.

Grey Simpson led the Panther defense with nine tackles. Sadler also had eight stops.

Spring Garden travels to Winterboro on Friday, while Victory Christian hosts Donoho.