Injuries put Panther post season in jeopardy

The really short-handed Panther football team put up a great effort but came up on the short end against Townsend Friday, losing 14-7. The single Panther touch- down came when Hayden Guisti blocked a punt and Peyton Loveridge scooped it up and ran in for a touchdown, PAT was good by Mead Blake. The Panthers threatened at times but fell short of scoring.

There is still a chance the Panthers can make the postseason, but that chance became more remote with the loss to the Bulldogs.

For the postseason to be a reality for the Panthers, they would have to beat Red Lodge this Wednesday and Townsend would need to lose to Three Forks. The first half of that equation may be likely, since Red Lodge has not won a single game this year, but a Three Forks (1-5 in conference) win over Townsend (3-3) would be an upset. This would be the first time in quite a few years the Panther football team did not make the playoffs if that happens. Injuries are the key factor in the fate of the Panthers. In my 27 years of reporting sports for the Boulder Monitor, I have not seen a year that had so many key players with season-ending injuries.