Panthers rally, advance to state quarterfinals

By Amanda Smallwood
UCA sportswriting

After playing catch-up in the second half, the Greenbrier Panthers (8-3) defeated Little Rock Mills, 42-35, in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs last week after a 14-year playoff drought.

“It was very satisfying to see the players and the fans excited after a comeback in the second half,” Greenbrier coach Randy Tribble said.

The Panthers rallied for 28 points in the fourth quarter for the win after taking a beating in the first half.

“I had to explain to them that we don’t want to be finished tonight,” Tribble said. “We can win if we play hard and believe in each other.”

The defense had trouble stopping Mills quarterback Christian Hampton, who went down with a knee injury in the third quarter.
After the injury, Greenbrier was able to come back and take the lead for good.

Greenbrier made many memories throughout the game, including a long touchdown by Hunter Winston and a blocked punt by Justin Head.

“It wasn’t until the last couple of minutes in the game that I felt relief,” Tribble said. "We were lucky to win with the amount of turnovers and bad plays that we had.”

Greenbrier finished with 456 yards of offense while Mills had 256.

Panther quarterback Neal Burcham completed 21 of 27 passes for 350 yards and five touchdowns. Winston rushed 16 times for 88 yards and one touchdown. Winston also caught two passes for 64 yards. Justin Head accomplished six catches for 85 yards. Brady Day had six catches for 52 yards and one touchdown. Tanner Howland delivered one touchdown and four catches for 59 yards.

On the defensive side, Zac Perry made 15 tackles; both Matt Cain and Colt Talley had 10.

Greenbrier, the second seed from 5A-West, will play host to Little Rock Christian, No. 4 from the Southwest, on Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m., in the quarterfinals.