The Lincoln Golden Eagle football team made the short trip west on Friday, Sept. 27, to face Tri-Eastern Conference co-leader Knightstown. The Panthers have artificial turf, so a muddy field was not an issue, but playing in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene made the playing conditions extremely difficult and the ball very slippery.
After scoring their first touchdown by recovering a fumble and carrying it into the end zone for a touchdown less than four minutes into the game, the Panthers added two rushing touchdowns and two 2-point conversions to expand their lead to 22-0 by the end of the first quarter. By halftime the Panthers’ lead had ballooned to 38-0 and triggered a running clock in the second half.
The scoring pace slowed in the second half as the weather got worse. The last score of the game was a kick returned for a touchdown.
The swirling winds made passing the ball nearly impossible. Panther quarterback Bryor Carmichael, normally an accurate passer, only completed five of 13 passing attempts for 44 yards. Noah Patterson and Evan Stuckey were a combined two for eight with a net gain of three yards.
The Eagles gained 100 yards on the ground with Stuckey leading with 49 yards on 10 carries. Patterson gained 26 yards on two carries and Austin Reece gained 23 yards on five carries.
Jameson Crawford carried the ball nine times for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Brantt Ellis gained 61 yards on 13 carries and scored two touchdowns.
Carson Hawk and Jack Patton led the Eagles’ defensive effort with five tackles each.
The win keeps the Panthers tied with Northeastern at the top of the Tri-Eastern Conference standings as the only teams without a conference loss.
Knightstown (5-1, 5-0 TEC) 22 16 8 8 54
Lincoln (1-5, 1-5 TEC) 0 0 0 0 0
A version of this article appeared in the October 2 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.