The football season opener between the South Medford Panthers and the Eagles this past Friday was a bit like watching Jekyll and Hyde.  But for a rash of turnovers to start the third quarter, the game was very close.  

In the end, the 21-points-in-six-minutes-on-20-yards-of-offense start to the second half buried the Eagles on their way to a 40-13 loss.

Two of the Panther scores came on defense as the Eagles turned the ball over in the end zone.  The other came on a short drive, again due to a turnover.

First half points were sparse as neither of the teams were able to score much, leaving the Eagles down 7-6 at the break.  

Much like the first quarter, the majority of the second quarter was greeted with no scoring from either the Panthers or the Eagles. However, with one second left on the scoreboard, the Eagles managed to score a touchdown on a pinpoint pass from quarterback Kyle Fitzgerald, ending the first half on a hopeful note. 

But the third quarter doomed the Eagles.

The fourth and final quarter started off with a more uplifting note, as the Eagles managed to score a touchdown within the first minute, raising their score to double digits at 13. With nine minutes left, South Medford scored another touchdown, as well as another conversion point, resulting in the final points during this quarter.

The Eagles Roosevelt tonight at 7pm at the Roughriders home field.  Roosevelt proved to be a formidable opponent last year. The Eagles won a close one.  Head Coach Butch Self said tonight’s game should favor the Eagles, but the turnovers have to be limited.