As Pine Crest Football had their biggest turnout of the season, the team didn’t disappoint on their Homecoming game, as they beat the John Carroll Rams 31-21.

It was a huge night for the Panthers on Senior Night, as the seniors were honored in their last home game of their careers. In addition to the large amount of fans coming out to see this game, there were also over 1,000 online viewers via the game’s live stream, which proved to be a success. In addition to the game itself, the pre-game tailgate was also tons of fun.  Furthermore, the festivities of Homecoming week continued as the much anticipated Homecoming Queen was announced at halftime.  Arianna Garvin was crowned and later escorted by her father in front of the home crowd.

Focusing on the game, it looked to be an easy, PC win, but the Rams put up a good fight.  The Rams scored two of their three touchdowns on kickoff returns, and they scored their final one on a short rushing touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter, after the Panthers had already secured the victory. Pine Crest, on the other hand, looked sharp right from the start. Kalvin Cline was the star of the night, having three touchdowns and a huge impact on all aspects of the game: offense, defense, and special teams.  In the first quarter, Cline’s “pick six,” or interception return for a touchdown,  put the Panthers on the board first.  He also scored a receiving touchdown at the end of the first half off of a nice 17 yard pass from quarterback Zach Smith, allowing him to use his athletic ability to go up and grab the ball over two defenders. His third touchdown, probably the most spectacular of all, was a 90 yard kickoff return that ended with a crafty stiff arm.  All in all, it was a wonderful night for Pine Crest students and alumni to witness another wonderful Pine Crest Homecoming game.

The Panthers improved to 7-1 after this win, and they play their first playoff game on Thursday, November 1^st.