Tough loss for Panther Jr. Midgets

This past Sunday, the Petaluma Panthers Jr. Midgets played the Rohnert Park Warriors at Rancho Cotate High School and lost a tough hard-fought game, 22-10. The talents of the teams were evenly matched making it a fight to the finish.

No points were on the board until the end of the first quarter when the Warriors ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point kick was good making the score 8-0.

At the end of the second quarter, Rohnert Park scored once again on a run and their kick was good, adding eight points.

Just after halftime, the Panthers’ Justin Alger picked up a Warrior fumble, and returned it for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked to make the score 16-6.

When the Warriors got the ball back, they fumbled yet again. This time, Petaluma quarterback Jadon Bosarge recovered and ran it 24 yards for another Panther touchdown. The extra point was missed and the score was 16-12.

The Panthers then kicked off to Rohnert Park, and it was immediately run back 80 yards for a Warriors’ touchdown. The extra point was blocked by Justin Alger, leaving the score 22-12.

Backup quarterback Garrett Freitas threw an 18-yard pass to Bosarge for a critical first down. Then Bosarge, back at his normal quarterback spot, completed several passes to Freitas to move the ball down the field. Fullback Kevin Ortiz caught a pass from Bosarge and ran it in for a Petaluma TD. The kick by David Marchant was good, pushing the score to 22-20.

The Panthers got the ball back with about two minutes remaining in the game. The Panthers started to move the ball down the field with several good plays, including a 25-yard pass from Bosarge to Freitas, but time expired as the Panthers turned the ball over on downs, making the final score Warriors 22, Panthers 20.

This week, the Panthers will play the Central Marin Chargers at Novato High. 

In other Panther games, the Mitey Mites lost, 34–6; the Jr. Pee Wees lost, 35–7; the Pee Wees lost, 28-0; and the Midgets won, 20-0.

(Jadon Bosarge is an eighth-grader at Kenilworth Junior High School)