Caney Creek wins in overtime against Rudder

CONROE, Texas -- Moorhead Stadium was packed Friday night when the Caney Creek Panthers hosted the Rudder Rangers for homecoming. Brightly colored mums and garters clinked the entire night as the Panthers and Rangers took it to overtime to decide who would walk away the victor.

The entire stadium was on their feet when 1:41 was left on the clock in the fourth quarter. The Panthers were on the Rudder 22 yard line. The Panthers burned the clock down to just :04 left in regulation with the hopes that Christian Alvarez could put away the game with a field goal. The field goal was no good and the teams headed to overtime.

The Panthers started overtime with possession and Chris Coffer took it to the end zone on a 14-yard run, making it 34-28. And then, just when the Panthers needed it most, Austin McKean intercepted the ball when Rudder had their chance in overtime. A sea of red and gold players swarmed McKean and the Panthers celebrated an exciting homecoming victory.

"If you're going to make the first interception of the season, that was the time to do it," one of the Panther's coaches, Jimmy Fraser, said.

The Panthers scored first on the night with a five-yard touchdown pass to John Lamb with just over three minutes left in the first quarter. Rudder responded with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Johnson. But Panther Zach Biles came back with a beautiful 36-yard run on a reverse and Robert Gordon was able to score on a one-yard run to start the second quarter.

The game went back and forth scoring throughout the remainder of the game. Caney Creek lost three fumbles in the second half of the game while Rudder turned the ball over resulting in a Caney Creek score.

In a game of back-and-forth scoring, Caney Creek's defense's big interception made homecoming that much sweeter. Players rushed to the stands after a team huddle to hug parents and friends.

Coffer ran for 214 yards and Gordon threw for 77 yards on the night.

The Panthers are now 1-2 in district play (2-3 overall) and take on Magnolia Oct. 4.