Sports
Panthers advance in the football playoffs!
FZN wins their 8th district title in the last 10 years.
The FZN varsity football team captured the school’s 11th district title, the 8th under Coach Joe Bacon, in school history with a 27 – 17 victory over previously undefeated St. Dominic. Despite the proximity between the two schools, it was the first match-up on the gridiron since 2005. The Panthers won in front of a large and vocal group of FZN supporters, who traveled the short distance between the two schools. Offensively, the Panthers were led by the versatile Chaun Robinson, who lined up at multiple offensive positions throughout the night. Robinson led all Panther rushers with 173 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns. Also having a big night was freshmen Jayden Burleson, who rushed for 115 yards on just 12 carries. Burleson also scored twice for the Panthers.
On defense, the Panthers were led by stand-outs Xavier Jackson and Drew Riley. The two combined for 17 tackles on the evening. Tommy Hembrock aided the Panther effort with a fumble recovery and Marq Futrell recorded an interception.
The victory, which upped the Panthers record to 8 – 4 on the season, advanced the team to the quarterfinal round of the MSHSAA Class 5 state playoffs. A game that will be hosted by FZN on Saturday, November 18 at 1:00 pm. The Panthers will square off against undefeated Cardinal Ritter High School. Cardinal Ritter won the state title a season ago and has not lost a game in over two years. In order to attend Saturday’s game, spectators must purchase tickets through the MSHSAA website: https://www.mshsaa.org/Tickets.aspx Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
