By Michael Lindsay
The Class 4A #10-ranked Stone Memorial Panthers (7-1, 2-1) won their fourth straight game Friday evening as they defeated Livingston Academy (5-3, 0-3) in Region 4-4A play, 42-8.
“I was proud of our kids,” said Stone Memorial head coach Derik Samber. “We had a really great week of practice, and the focus was really good. Livingston’s got a good football team this year; Kaleb Qualls and his staff are doing an awesome job.”
Panther quarterback Noah Potter completed 17 of 28 passes for 342 yards and 5 touchdowns while rushing for 30 yards and a score. Hunter Haney caught five passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns, while Carson McCoy added five receptions for 77 yards and two scores.
“Noah’s such a coachable kid,” said Samber. “He’s been blessed with a ton of ability and executes everything we ask him to. We do a lot of stuff out of empty sets, which puts a ton on the quarterback. I have so much trust in him to execute.
“Carson is such a steady kid for us,” Samber added. “He’s come into his own this season and stepped up for us on both sides of the ball. Hunter is one of my favorite kids; he takes a lot of pride in his craft and is the first guy to celebrate with his teammates.”
The Panthers found the end zone on their opening drive as Potter rushed in a 5-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2 to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead with 8:15 remaining in the first quarter.
Stone Memorial extended its lead with 19 seconds left in the opening period as Potter hit Kadyn Page for a 20-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal to make it 14-0.
“The kids executed the game plan well,” said Samber. “Livingston is a feisty team, and their coaches are energetic and keep them fired up. To jump up early was a big help.”
Livingston got on the board with 9:35 remaining in the second quarter as Drew Goolsby punched in a 3-yard touchdown, followed by a Kaden Weitzel 2-point conversion to pull the Wildcats within a possession at 14-8.
It only took Stone Memorial one snap to answer, as Potter hit Haney down the right sideline for a 74-yard touchdown on the first play of the ensuing drive, extending the Panthers’ lead to 21-8 with 9:13 left until halftime.
Potter threw his third touchdown pass of the night with 2:53 remaining in the second quarter, finding McCoy on a 19-yard strike down the middle to make it 28-8.
Stone Memorial’s offense wasn’t done in the first half. Taking over with 1:28 remaining at its own 34-yard line, the Panthers moved back to the same spot after a completion and a penalty. Then, with one minute left, Potter connected with Haney down the right sideline again for a 66-yard touchdown, giving Stone Memorial a 35-8 halftime lead.
The Panthers opened the second half with a successful onside kick, setting up a scoring drive capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to McCoy with 9:35 remaining in the third quarter to push the lead to 42-8.
“Hayden Olsen is our special teams coordinator and came to us from Tennessee Tech,” said Samber. “We stole two possessions on kickoffs and have been so much better on special teams.”
Neither team scored the rest of the way as the Panthers held on for a 42-8 win.
“Tanner Kirkland is in his first year as our defensive coordinator, and he’s doing a tremendous job preparing our kids on that side of the ball,” said Samber. “On the field, it’s a collective effort, and we have 11 kids playing with a lot of pride and passion.”
Up next for both programs is a bye week before a return to Region 4-4A action on Oct. 24. Stone Memorial travels to DeKalb County (3-5, 0-3), while Livingston hosts Macon County (5-2, 1-2).
