GREENVILLE – District play can come with different challenges every week.

For the Princeton Panthers, they found the challenge of Greenville quarterback Anthony Johnson was too much to overcome. 

The Greenville senior quarterback accounted for five touchdowns in the first half alone, as the Lions defeated the Panthers Friday night by a score of 63-37 at T.A. Cotton Ford Stadium. 

By the time the Panthers finally got on the board in the second quarter courtesy of a one yard touchdown run by Presley Self, they were already down 13 points as the score cut the deficit to six at 13-7. 

Despite keeping the game close throughout the second quarter, the Panthers defense couldn’t get a stop when it mattered most. 

Greenville eventually took a 35-21 lead into the halftime break, despite the Panthers getting two touchdown passes from Ratliff to Self and Ladon McKinney from 13 and 56 yards respectively. 

Johnson eventually got his sixth touchdown of the game in the third as the Lions offense poured it on, putting Princeton in a 56-29 hole after three quarters. 

Princeton managed to outscore the Lions 8-7 in the fourth quarter. 

The defeat drops the Panthers to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in district play. Princeton will be off next week and will return to action Oct. 5 with a home game against Lucas Lovejoy with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. from Jackie Hendricks Stadium.

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By Evan Grice • [email protected]