Flowers survives late comeback, knocks off Paint Branch, 21-14, to advance to state semis
November 23, 2024
BURTONSVILLE, Md. — Despite a furious from Paint Branch (9-2) in the final minutes of the game, the Flowers Jaguars (9-2) held on to defeat the Panthers, 21-14, through the cold rain and wind in the 4A State Quarterfinals.
Flowers seemingly controlled the game and was poised to run out the clock, but Paint Branch tallied two touchdowns in the final six minutes. The Panthers also recovered an onside kick with just over a minute to play, but failed to capitalize on their attempt to tie the game.
After both teams exchanged punts in the first quarter, Flowers was the first to team to get on the scoreboard. The Jaguars drove the ball down field, and scored on a 22-yard rush by running back Kahleil Coney. The extra point gave the Jaguars a 7-0 lead.
Flowers was preparing to punt on the final play of the quarter. The snap came back low to punter Risan Smith, who then scooped up the ball and ran for a long gain up the sideline. Smith set the Jaguars up in great position to add to their lead as the second quarter began. But the Paint Branch defense held strong, and Flowers missed a 26-yard field goal to keep the score at 7-0.
On the ensuing possession, Paint Branch drove the ball deep into Jaguars territory. Facing a 4th down, Panthers QB Vincent Do threw to the end zone, but right into the arms of Flowers defensive back Aaron Hart, who secured the catch for a touchback. Paint Branch again would drive into Flowers territory before the end of the half, but was unable to cross the goal line, and the Jaguars would take their 7-0 lead into the break.
Paint Branch received the ball to begin the second half, and embarked on a nearly 5 minute drive that was only able to reach just beyond midfield. The Panthers punted away, and Flowers began a long drive of their own that would also ultimately amount to nothing. The Jags punted after making it into Panthers territory, and those two drive took up 11 minutes and 11 seconds of the 12 minute third quarter. Flowers held a 7-0 lead heading to the final period of play.
The fourth quarter would take a much different tone compared to the previous three quarters. Flowers scored on its first two possessions of the quarter, and scored quickly. The first was a 15-yard pass from QB Adrian Favor to Amontay Cox, and the second was a 1-yard run by Favor to give the Jags a 21-0 lead. Those two drives bookended a 4-and-out drive by the Panthers, and Flowers seemed to be in control of the game late.
But Paint Branch showed resilience and fought back hard. After having been bottled up for nearly the entirety of the game, the Panthers offense, led by running back Alijah Bah, came to life. Bah broke free on a 34-yard score with just under six minutes remaining. After getting the ball back, Paint Branch would find the end zone again on a 24-yard pass from Do to Isaac Timbo. Flowers still led, but only 21-14, with 1 minute, 16 seconds remaining.
The Panthers came on to attempt and onside kick. The ball bounced a few times up the middle on the wet turf, and after the refs uncovered the pile, Paint Branch had recovered. They not only had the ball with a chance to tie the game with only a minute left, but they had the ball in great field position, as the kick was recovered at the Flowers 40-yard line.
Just as they had for most of the night, however, the Flowers defense came up big. Despite still having two timeouts remaining, Paint Branch came out throwing attempting four consecutive passes, which all four fell incomplete. The Panthers turned the ball over on downs, and Flowers ran the clock out on a 21-14 victory.
Paint Branch sees its season come to a close, finishing with a 9-2 record, and falling in the state quarterfinals round for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Flowers advances to the state semifinals round, where a matchup with Prince George’s County rival Wise awaits.
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