EAST ORANGE, NJ – The East Orange football Panthers played host to the Silk City Cardinals and Union County Warriors this past Sunday, Sept. 17, at Paul Robeson Stadium. The Panthers 8U team were coming off a four-touchdown performance last week against Union County but ran into trouble when rival Silk City came calling.
Silk City flew away from the Panthers with a three-touchdown performance to shut down the potent Panthers attack. The 8U Panthers are scheduled to play Hudson County on Sunday, Sept. 24, at Berry Lanes in Jersey City. The game is scheduled for a 10 a.m. start.
The Panthers 10U and 13U squads both faced off with the Union County Warriors, scoring victories in their respective games. The Panthers 10U squad easily handled the 10U Warriors with the help of RB Ja’Shyne Hayes’ two touchdowns that gave his squad the 12-0 victory. The Panthers 10U squad will play at home Sunday, Sept. 24, against Bergen County Black at 11 a.m.
The 13U Panthers were ready after they were coming off a bye week. They were able to hold Union County under 100 yards in total offense while powering their way to the end zone three times through the course of the game. The Panthers, led by QB/DB Kaleb Simmons, RB/LB Calvin Scott, and RB/LB Nasir Henderson, got the scoring going early in the first quarter with an interception that led to a 12-play, 81-yard scoring drive with Simmons feeding the ball to Henderson for a 2-yard plunge in the first quarter. The Panthers struck again in the second quarter with another 56 yards in seven plays as Simmons sent Scott on a quick 2-yard dive into the end zone to go up 14-0 by halftime.
Scott would break out on a big run in the third quarter, but fumbled the ball, giving Union County an opportunity to get back in the game. The Panthers defense made quick work of the Warriors as they regained control of the ball. Simmons found Scott wide open on a 21-yard bootleg hookup that sealed the Warriors’ fate with a decisive 21-0 victory. 13U will also be home Sunday to play Somerville-Branchburg United. Kickoff is slated for 12:30 p.m.
The 11U team enjoyed another bye week this past Sunday, Sept. 17. They earned the extra week when the Hudson County Dolphins made a late-week decision to withdraw from the Garden State AYF. Hudson County cited various internal issues that ultimately forced its decision to withdraw from the conference on all levels. This decision will give the remaining teams in the conference an automatic bye and forfeit, unless they play another team that’s in a different AYF conference, or elect to play each other twice. The 11U squad will play Silk City at Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 12:30 p.m.
For more information on game times and schedules, go to www.leaguelineup/ppypanthers.com or www.facebook.com/ppypanthers, or contact Tyrone Miles at 201-341-3933.
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