Panthers’ 27-game winning streak ends

Posted 9/4/14

Custer County was.

Last Friday, the Powell Panthers were handed their first loss since 2011, falling to the Custer County Cowboys (Miles City, Mont.) on the road, 43-7, in a Week Zero football game. The loss effectively ended PHS’s incredible …

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Panthers’ 27-game winning streak ends

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PHS looks to recover against Douglas  

The streak had to end eventually.

That doesn’t mean that anyone with even an ounce of connection to the Powell High School football program was ready for it.

Custer County was.

Last Friday, the Powell Panthers were handed their first loss since 2011, falling to the Custer County Cowboys (Miles City, Mont.) on the road, 43-7, in a Week Zero football game. The loss effectively ended PHS’s incredible 27-game winning streak, which started with a 46-5 victory over Lander Valley in the first round of the 2011 Class 3A state championship playoffs. The setback also left the Panthers seven games short of tying Laramie’s state record of 34 consecutive wins from 1959-63.

“It was an emotional game … a little bit of a rollercoaster,” said PHS interim football coach Chanler Buck of his team, who played its first game without former coach Jim Stringer after he passed away suddenly on July 18. “They certainly played hard.”

Custer County led 7-0 before PHS senior quarterback Carter Baxter launched a 60-yard touchdown strike to senior wide receiver Kalei Smith during the Panthers’ second offensive series in the first quarter.

From there, however, it was all Custer County, which scored 36 unanswered points to put PHS away.

“We don’t have a lot of depth. That hurt us on defense a little bit,” Buck added. “And we had two turnovers in the red zone. Mistakes hurt us, but they’re things that we can fix.”

Smith finished with four receptions for 91 yards and the TD. Baxter ended his day completing 4 of 10 passes (all to Smith) with the score and two interceptions. The Powell running game was unable to get going, as senior Ty Herd collected a team-high 27 yards on 11 carries and the Panthers finished with just 67 total grounds yards. The Cowboys outgained Powell 450-158.

Having served as a volunteer three years prior to his promotion to head coach, Buck was well aware of the talent and depth that led Powell to its three straight state titles between 2011-13. Coming into 2014, Buck knew his inherited team would have a different look, and would need to find its identity.

“We’ve got kids who’ve seen minimal varsity time, period,” he said. “We don’t have the same size and depth that we’ve had in the past. This is definitely a different team.”

During the offseason, Buck stressed that this season would be a challenge. The death of Stringer fueled a firestorm of changes for the Panthers, who have since experienced adjustments to offensive and defensive schemes while also handling the losses of a strong 2013 senior class.

“It’s a week-by-week adventure. You take each competition as it comes,” Buck said. “You reassess and you re-strategize what you have to work with. You do everything you can and everything in your power to improve each week.”

And while the Panthers will attempt to improve in time for a Week One state-title rematch with Douglas (Friday, away), Buck also hopes the team can begin a new legacy after having pressure of the winning streak wiped away.

“We’ve got the monkey off our back,” Buck said. “We’re ready to be who we are and not who we were in the past. We’re ready to be something different.”

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