By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
COLLINSVILLE – With all of the offensive weapons the Collinsville Panthers feature, its easy for someone like sophomore running back Noah Johnson to get lost in the shuffle.
On Thursday night in the Class 3A, No. 10 Panthers’ season opener against visiting Cedar Bluff, Johnson proved the perfect compliment to junior quarterback Mason McAteer.
Johnson ran for four touchdowns on runs of 8,8, 10 and 2 yards, while McAteer completed 10-of-17 pass attempts for 181 yards and two scores. McAteer also ran for 132 yards on 15 totes and scored on a 72-yard run in the first quarter as the Panthers pounced on the Tigers 53-6.
“When he (McAteer) can throw the ball and run like that, they’re not looking at me as much,” Johnson said. “I’m glad he’s on our team.
“I’m thankful for my line blocking for me. I had the best blocks I could ask for, Everybody did their job and made me look good.”
Johnson caught Collinsville coach Ernie Willingham’s eye toward the end of last season.
“He’s a really good player,” Willingham said. “Against Piedmont in the playoff game, he started at middle linebacker where he played tonight and running back too. He was quite possibly the best player on the field against Piedmont in the playoff game last year. He was making tackles everywhere. He’s a good one for us. He plays really hard. He has a really good motor. He’s fun to be around and he’s fun to coach.”
Johnson helped get the Panthers (1-0) rolling on their first drive of the game. He scored from 8 yards away to cap a 7-play, 54-yard drive to put Collinsville in front 6-0 with 8:14 to go in the opening quarter.
McAteer put the Panthers up 13-0 at the end of the quarter on his 72-yard run.
After Cedar Bluff (1-1) turned the ball over on downs to open the second, Johnson took a pitch from McAteer and scored on another 8-yard run for a 19-0 Panther cushion.
Following another stalled Tiger drive, McAteer hit Gavin Lang on a 9-yard touchdown toss for a 26-0 advantage. Johnson capped the first-half scoring with a 10-yard run, putting the Panthers up 32-0.
Cedar Bluff’s offensive struggles continued in the third quarter. The Tigers’ opening drive of the second half ended when quarterback Kuper Bradley was intercepted by Carson Clanton. Clanton returned the ball for another Panther score, but this one was called back on a hold.
Two plays later, McAteer connected with Kyler Beene on a 13-yard touchdown pass. With 9:12 remaining in the third, the rout continued at 39-0.
The Tigers prevented the shutout on their ensuing drive. Jeremiah Miller bulldozed his way to the end zone from 20 yards out with 6:27 remaining in the third. The Panthers blocked the extra point, keeping the score at 39-6.
Miller led Cedar Bluff with 84 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
“He’s a load to bring down, and his brother (Jamison Miller) is too,” Cedar Bluff coach Garrett Crane said. “Jamison’s hamstring tightened up on him during the game, but they’re as tough as they come to be freshmen. They go at it the right way and our guys look up to them. They’re freshmen in age, but they’re not freshmen in terms of what they do on the field and how they play. They’re really good young men.”
Following a 49-yard run by Beene on a high punt snap, Johnson capped the third quarter scoring with his fourth and final touchdown on a 2-yard run with just under two minutes remaining.
Brantley Daugherty picked off another Cedar Bluff pass to kill another Tiger drive in the fourth quarter. This one came on a Kadien Tracy throw that Daugherty returned to Panther 19.
“Our defense runs around really well,” Willingham said. “They (Cedar Bluff) had some big offensive linemen, but I’m proud of my guys for holding them in the trenches for a little bit, letting the linebackers and secondary guys run around and play. If we can hold our own in the trenches a little bit, our linebackers and secondary can make some plays.”
With backups fully in for the Panthers, backup quarterback Sylas Adams dashed 47 yards for Collinsville’s final touchdown with 33.6 seconds remaining in the game.
Adams also had four catches for 70 yards. Lang caught three passes for 76 yards and a score. Beene had a pair of catches for 22 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought we came out and played pretty hard,” Willingham said. “We knew we needed to come out and perform and execute. I thought we did in the first half, but we lost a little bit of concentration in the second half with a few penalties. We’ve got to clean some of that stuff up, but other than that, I think it was a pretty good first game.”
Tracy added 76 yards on 15 carries for the Tigers, who open Class 2A, Region 7 play at home against Gaston next Friday.
Collinsville also opens Class 3A, Region 8 action with a trip to Fyffe. The Panthers seek to end a 25-game losing streak to the Red Devils. Their last win over Fyffe came back in 1983.
“Fyffe has lost a couple of players here and there, but they’ve got a really good football team, and we’re playing them at their place,” Willingham said. “We’ve just got to be able to hold up. They bombard you, and you just have to be able to hold up to them.”
NOTE: Collinsville honored the memory of longtime statistician John Morgan on Thursday at halftime. Principal Bradley Crawford presented Morgan’s wife Gloria and the Morgan family with a plaque at midfield for his years of dedicated service to Panther athletics. The Panthers also had a tribute to Morgan on their new scoreboard.
John Morgan died on May 1 at the age of 77.
