Albany Panthers players celebrate after scoring a touchdown against the Columbus Lions.
by Walter L. Johnson II
The third time was the charm for the Albany Panthers.
As in a third win in four tries against the Columbus Lions, in week three of the Southern Indoor Football League season.
The Panthers got their biggest win of the 2011 season so far at the Albany Civic Center, as they overcame a sluggish first half to dominate the second half in a 46-26 win over the defending SIFL champions Saturday night.
“We struggled at the beginning, but once we picked everything up, then we got a lot better,” Panthers head coach Lucious Davis said. “We just can’t start slow.
“I thought we dropped some passes,” added Davis. “I thought we missed some blocks here and there, (the Panthers) missed some throws early. Once we capitalize, and minimize those mistakes, then we’re pretty good.”
Albany (3-0) scored the game’s first points on a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cecil Lester to Brandon Bishop. The Panthers took a 7-0 lead after a made extra point by Wes Virgilio.
But it didn’t take long for Columbus (2-1) to strike back, as Gerald Gales and the visiting Lions needed two plays and 30 yards in just 50 seconds to tie the score on a 16-yard catch from Chris McCoy. Trey Crum added a 23-yard field goal as time expired to give the Lions a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams continued their seesaw battle in the second quarter, as the Panthers tied the game at 10-10 on a 26-yard field goal by Virgilio.
But the Lions retook the lead on the ensuing kickoff, with Anthony Merritt returning it the full 50 yards for a touchdown. The missed extra point made the score 16-10 in favor of Columbus. A safety scored by the Albany defense, thanks to a holding penalty against Columbus, closed the gap to 16-12 at halftime.
Albany’s slumbering offense woke up in the second half, especially in the early stages of the third quarter, thanks to wide receiver John Harris.
Harris caught four passes for 62 yards for three touchdowns, all of which came in the second half. His first touchdown was good for 23 yards, his longest, putting the Panthers ahead 19-16 with 9:35 to play in the third quarter.
“Just coming out, and playing hard, and going out, that’s catching (touchdowns)” Harris said when asked about his mindset when catching those three touchdowns in the second half. “My (senses) came to me in the second half, so I tried to make big plays for them when I got the opportunity to.”
After a second field goal by Crum tied the game at 19-19 with less than six minutes to play in the third quarter, a second touchdown catch by Harris with less than 90 seconds remaining put the Panthers ahead to stay at 26-19.
Albany then outscored Columbus 20-7 in the fourth quarter to earn its third win in as many games.
The defense was one of the main reasons the Panthers are still undefeated after playing three games. Defensive back Demetrie McCray says the defense had to overcome its own struggles to help win the game over the Lions.
“Even though we don’t start out hot at first, but as a defense, our job is to keep the opponent from scoring,” McCray said. “So, that’s our mindset, no matter what’s going on with the offense, our job is to keep the opponent from scoring.”
The Panthers will get unexpected bye week next weekend, before returning to action against the expansion Alabama Hammers on April 16. They were scheduled to travel to Lafayette, La. to play against the Lafayette Wildcatters, but that franchise folded prior to Week 1.
McCray says he and his teammates are looking forward to taking that much needed time off
after a big win over the defending SIFL champions, albeit unplanned.
“We have a week rest next week,” McCray said. “We left everything after (Saturday) night, so we
can rest, and heal up all the little injuries and stuff, can heal up next week, then we can come
back for a home game against Alabama week after next.”
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