DOUGLAS — After Carter Baxter sacked Douglas quarterback Haize Weber for the third time Friday night, he stood over the fallen quarterback as the final seconds of the game melted away.

Baxter wasn’t gloating, he was just ‘relishing the moment.’

And after the first-year QB/experienced middle linebacker practically carried Powell High School to a dramatic 18-17 come-from-behind victory, it’s safe to say the senior deserved some relishing.

“Our team motto is ‘Relish this moment,’ and that’s exactly what I was doing at that time, I was relishing the moment,” Baxter said of his game-winning sack between emotional weeps of joy. “This was a much needed win for us. I can’t really explain the feeling I have right now. I’m just happy I could come through for my brothers out here.”

Several Panthers were shedding post-game tears after Powell (1-0) earned its first victory since losing former head coach Jim Stringer to a heart attack on July 18. Stringer’s son, Riley Stringer, who was cleared to play after undergoing outpatient surgery on his right ankle late last month, was among them.

“Heart, attitude, discipline …,” Stringer said of his team’s performance. “We just came together tonight. We played our hearts out.”

That’s certainly what it took for the Panthers, who trailed 17-6 with less than 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Baxter, who was 6 of 13 passing at that point with an interception, was in the midst of pioneering a drive through Douglas territory. A 30-yard pass to senior wide receiver Kalei Smith, who one-handed the ball before falling out of bounds, setting the Panthers up at the Bearcats’ 17-yard line. Baxter then put his throwing arm to rest for the duration of the contest, rushing for 18 yards on the drive after working around an illegal procedure penalty. He capped off the series with a 2-yard dive play that brought the Panthers to 17-12 just seconds before the final quarter.

“Carter is a tank,” Smith said of his quarterback. “We call him that for a reason. Yea, he had some trouble passing tonight, but that’s not just on him, that’s all of us. But Carter, he really carried us tonight. He made things happen.”

After Douglas (0-1) saw its ensuing drive end after six plays, a punt set Powell up at its own 45, and Baxter came through again. Ty Herd and Ryan Ferro helped ground and pound the Panthers to the Bearcat 11, but after Herd was stuffed and Ferro was tackled for a loss, Baxter put his head down and didn’t look up until he crossed the goal line.

The 6-foot-2, 203-pounder took off on a keeper play, breaking a tackle from seemingly every Douglas player on the field before crossing the goal line for the eventual game-winning score at 5:36. A 2-point pass attempt to Smith in the corner of the end zone failed to put PHS ahead by three, and Smith was visibly upset, but Baxter made sure it didn’t matter.

“He picked me up for sure,” Smith said.

Alex Locke gave Douglas life with a big return, taking the next Powell kickoff to the Panthers’ 49. But five plays later, at the PHS 36, Douglas coughed up the ball and the Panthers recovered. Powell was unable to gain a first down on its next drive however, and was forced to punt, putting DHS at its own 38 with 1:16 to play.

Weber proceeded to march the Bearcats down the field. He completed passes of 5 and 21 yards, ran for 9 more, and found Colter Haman for another 9-yard pickup to put his team at the Panther 20 with less than 20 seconds to go. But Weber’s next snap was his last. Baxter blew through the offensive line and dropped Weber as both sidelines erupted. Douglas attempted to reassemble but was unable to run a play as the final eight seconds ticked away.

The ending of the ballgame was a complete 180 for the Panthers, who saw their 27-game winning streak come to an end with a 43-7 Week Zero loss to Custer County (Mont.) last week.

“That was something,” PHS interim head coach Chanler Buck said of Friday’s ending. “What a complete difference a week makes, and it helps having a game plan. But give credit to these kids, they really fought for this one.”

Weber finished 11 of 21 through the air for 128 yards, including a touchdown pass to Bay Parks and an interception. Haman rushed 12 times for 61 yards. Brett Leuthan’s 23-yard field goal put Douglas ahead 10-6 with three seconds remaining in the first half. Tanner Gamble returned a Baxter interception 20 yards to push the Bearcat lead to 17-6 with 6:48 left in the third quarter.

The Panthers outgained Douglas 218-198 in total offense. Herd collected 40 yards on 11 carries.

On the night, Baxter finished with 53 yards passing and 12 carries for 61 yards to go with the two touchdowns. He also helped Powell get on the board in the second quarter when, after a botched fake punt attempt, he flipped the ball to Smith, who promptly ran it in for a touchdown from 47 yards out to pull PHS within 7-6.

Following a tough outing against Custer County, Buck had high praise for his quarterback after a strong showing in Douglas.

“They were marching, but they only give us 12 minutes a quarter, and you’ve gotta take advantage of opportunities … sometimes those opportunities come with eight seconds left on the board,” Buck said of Baxter’s final sack. “This wasn’t a perfect game, but we showed a lot out on the field. It’s our job as a coaching staff to take these kids to the next level now, and they’re certainly making that easy for us.”