By Michael Lindsay
The Stone Memorial Panthers have advanced to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs in dominant fashion as they shut out Hixson Friday night, 37-0.
The Panthers made a big change on the fly as senior standout quarterback Hunter Heavilon left the game early due to injury, bringing in backup Nick Osmun to carry the load under center.
Osmun, a wide receiver, hardly blinked as he went 5-9 for 106 yards and two touchdowns through the air while rushing 5 times for 42 yards and a score.
On the ground, Houston Woody led with 68 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Stone Memorial went up 7-0 on their opening possession as Woody punched in a 1-yard score less than 3 minutes into the action.
Senior all-state receiver Kaleb Flowers then stepped up and found the end zone twice in the first half as he hauled in a 78-yard touchdown pass from Osmun then picked off a Hixson pass and returned it 95 yards for a score, putting SMHS up 22-0 at halftime.
Osmun had a hand in both second-half touchdowns as he hit TE Brady Lane for a 1-yard touchdown pass on the first drive of the third period before rushing in a 33-yard score late in the fourth quarter to bring the final score to 37-0.
The playoff win advances the Region 4-4A champion Panthers to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs where they’ll host Red Bank (9-2) on Friday.
Red Bank eliminated Stone Memorial from the playoffs last season, 41-6. The Lions defeated Macon County in the first round on Friday, 21-14.