Dudley Panthers prevail against rival Page Pirates from David Saint-Hilaire

Panthers prevail against rival Page
from David Saint-Hilaire with from David Saint-Hilaire

It seemed to have been a tale of two fumbles. A fumble before the end of the two most important quarters of the game. A fumble before the half set the Pirates up to take the lead, however they could not convert. A fumble before the end of the game which sealed the win for the Panthers. The wheel route seemed to have been the catalyst for
Pages’ offense as they were able to tally two touchdowns with that specific play.

While the Panthers struggled with the run, Gerald Gee Simpson completed the plays that needed to be completed in order for Dudley to win. The touchdown passes he threw in the game helped the Panthers excel, and eventually move onto to winning the game. “This is not the Dudley high-powered offense we are used to seeing” said Dennis White of Greensboro Sports. Indeed, it wasn’t, the offense had its woes throughout the game, specifically with the first half, which led the score to stay the same in the second half all the way until the end of the game.

Page took advantage of Dudley’s woes and added a score of their own with three minutes left in the first half. They were able to take a fumbled punt and return for a score which gave them that second touchdown they needed to inch closer toward the Panthers. The Pirates were not playing they best they have played, however, they knew that if the Panthers continued to falter, they would have a chance to play. The play that really set up the Panthers was the Myles Berry interception late in the fourth quarter that helped swing momentum toward Dudley’s way.

With the two powerhouses of Guilford County, it was a game that shook the fans of these two teams. They both put up an outstanding fight, however, in the end, it was Dudley who was the superior team. The mistakes came out in the second quarter where Page was able to score their second touchdown but in the second half, the defense was able to prevent Page from scoring. Although, it was a mistake that prevent Page from scoring in the last minute of the game, the Dudley Panthers’ high flying defense helped them overcome all the mistakes they had made throughout the whole game.

We will look forward to seeing from these two teams if the saying is indeed correct, “defense wins championships.”