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Article published Dec 9, 2007 Panthers may not gain win, but earn respect
By Pete Herbert Daily Times Correspondent
MURFREESBORO — If it was respect Maplewood was after, the Panthers got it. If it was a Class 4A championship trophy, the Panthers fell a couple trick plays and a hurt ankle short, losing to Maryville in the title game, 28-13. It is Maryville’s fourth title in as many years.
“It was really just two big plays or it’s a different game,” said Maplewood head coach Ralph Thompson. “We knew George (Quarles) would run two or three trick plays; we knew it was coming.”
Maplewood proved Saturday evening that knowing the path is decisively different than walking the path.
A wheel route, where Rebel Chris Jordan, catching Maplewood on a blitz, snuck behind defenders and connected with a Brent Burnette pass for a touchdown, was the first of two aces up Maryville’s sleeve.
A Stephen Shiver wideout touchdown pass to Thomas Shuler out of the backfield was the second ace that trumped the Panther’s championship run. It came late in the third quarter and would be the final score for either team.
“We were ready for the trick plays,” said Markus Cantrell, who led the Maplewood rushing squad with 86 yards on 23 carries. “They just made the right decisions on the right downs.”
Regardless of a Mr. Tom Foolery’s appearance, Maplewood had its chances. Going into the half with Maryville winning by only eight points, it looked like it’d be a game and the Rebel winning streak could be in jeopardy.
In the first half, Maplewood was 2-for-2 in red zone scoring and seemed to have the answer to beating Maryville. In the second half, however, Maryville had all the answers.
“We came out in the third quarter and stopped executing on each and every play,” Thompson said. “We would move the ball some and then get a penalty. We became predictable. You have to execute, and against a team like Maryville, you have to be near perfect.”
“At halftime, we were just saying that these guys can be beat, they are an ordinary team, they put their helmets on just like we put our helmets on,” Cantrell said. “I have to give it to the (Maryville) coaches. They found a way to stop us (in the second half). They did what it takes.”
The run game still churned out yards in the second half, despite speedy Panther quarterback Chris Simpson playing on a sprained ankle and netting only 17 yards rushing. Simpson, who had 777 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground coming into the game, was unable to run the usual Maplewood offense, which featured more keepers and the option.
With the Simpson run threat neutralized, Maplewood had only 37 passing yards and four first downs in the second half. The Panthers also had six penalties for a net loss of 38 yards in the final 24 minutes of play.
“It was an emotional game,” Quarles said. “Kind of back and forth.
“Penalties killed us. We weren’t tackling and we gave up a couple big kickoff returns. At halftime, we just stressed what we have been teaching. In the second half, we did a much better job on defense.”
In the first half, Maplewood racked up 75 yards on only three returns, scoring first and tying the game 7-7 on a short field. The Panthers had only three yards on one return in the second half. They wouldn’t reach the red zone once.
“It’s been a roller coaster of a season,” Thompson said. “Of course we wanted to win, but we also wanted to gain some respect. I think we opened some eyes across Tennessee.”