Stone Memorial Wins Shootout At Macon County, 34-27; QB Noah Potter Racks Up 427 Yards & 4 TDs

By Michael Lindsay

The UCR Game of the Week lived up to the hype Friday in Lafayette as the Stone Memorial Panthers (6-1, 1-1) defeated defending Class 4A state champion Macon County Tigers (5-2, 1-2) in a 34-27 shootout.

“Macon’s last home loss was 763 days ago,” said Stone Memorial head coach Derik Samber. “That’s a team with championship DNA, and our kids just kept punching and showed some of that resiliency of our own.”

Stone Memorial quarterback Noah Potter went 19-25 for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air while rushing for 112 yards and a score on the ground.

“We unhitched the wagon with Noah this week,” Samber said. “We put it on his shoulders and said, ‘Hey Noah, go win us a ball game,’ and he was up to the challenge in an incredibly difficult environment.”

Stone Memorial’s Kyle Hinch had 3 catches for 96 yards and 3 touchdown receptions, plus an interception and a fumble recovery. Kadyn Page added 9 catches for 134 yards in the win. Macon County was led by Xavier Bentley, who rushed for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Macon County struck first when Bentley broke loose on the game’s opening play, a 70-yard run to the Stone 4-yard line. Two plays later, Brennan Flowers punched in a 1-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead.

“When they take a big run down the sideline to open the game, that was a big punch in the stomach for me,” Samber said. “When you’ve been to Macon County and played coach Kyle Shoulders’ teams, you’ve seen that script before — a fast running back running down the sidelines for 70 yards on the first play. But credit to our coaches and kids for making adjustments and staying resilient.”

Stone Memorial answered later in the first quarter when Potter connected with Hinch for a 20-yard touchdown pass, tying the game at 7 with 5:09 left in the opening frame.

Macon County regained the lead on the first play of the second quarter when Flowers stretched across the pylon for an 8-yard touchdown, making it 14-7 Tigers.

On the ensuing drive, the Panthers faced 4th-and-8 at their own 36 when Potter connected with Page on a deep ball for a 60-yard gain to the Tigers’ 4-yard line. Potter then punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14 with 2:07 left before halftime.

Macon County responded with a drive capped by quarterback Matthew Wheeley hitting Bentley on a 14-yard touchdown pass, giving Macon County a 21-14 halftime lead.

Stone Memorial tied the game at 21 with 8:18 left in the third quarter when Lincoln Eldridge scored on a 9-yard run. Macon County answered with a 12-play drive capped by a Bentley 13-yard touchdown run. The extra point was blocked, leaving the Tigers up 27-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

Hinch opened the final period with his second touchdown catch of the night, a 24-yard strike that tied the game at 27. Stone Memorial missed the extra point, keeping it tied at 27-27 with 10:48 remaining.

After trading empty possessions, the Panthers took over at their own 20-yard line with 4:10 left. Two penalties pushed them back to their 5 before they faced 3rd-and-18 from their own 11, where Potter escaped a sack and scrambled 42 yards to the Macon County 49-yard line for a first down.

“Credit to our offensive line for protecting Noah and giving him a lane,” Samber said. “He’s dropping back into his own end zone on 3rd-and-16 and we have no business converting that, but he’s a big-time kid making a big-time play.”

A quick pass to Hinch on the following play turned into a 49-yard touchdown reception, giving Stone Memorial a 34-27 lead with 2:15 left.

“Kyle made the catch and probably didn’t even have the first down, but he broke two tackles and it ends up being points,” Samber said.

Macon County’s final drive ended with 47 seconds left when Hinch intercepted a Tiger pass near midfield, sealing Stone Memorial’s 34-27 victory.

The win was Stone Memorial’s first at Macon County. The Panthers improve to 6-1 overall and 1-1 in Region 4-4A, while the Tigers fall to 5-2 and 1-2. Next up, Stone Memorial hosts Livingston Academy (5-2, 0-2) in region play. Macon County has a bye week before traveling to Barren County (KY.) on Oct. 17.

“Livingston is a fantastic football team as well,” Samber said. “There are no weeks off in this region. We have to come out this week with our hair on fire and can’t have any letdown.”