For a few minutes on Friday night, it looked like the homecoming crowd at Jefferson High would get a high-scoring affair.
It didn’t work out that way, as the early fireworks yielded to tough, grinding play. But they did see the Panthers’ first victory of the 2019 football campaign, a gritty 13-6 thriller over conference rival Columbus High.
Just a minute after kick-off, Columbus was on the board, mixing runs and passes for a quick drive down the field for a touchdown. Then the Panthers took their turn, cruising from their own 35 mostly on the swift feet of senior Jaxson Yanzick. It was a 27-yard run by Yanzick that tied the game with 8:46 left in the first.
