The season ended Friday night for the Butler County Magnet School Panthers as they were sent home from the Brantley Dawg Pound after a 41-18 loss.

The Panthers went 5-6 for the season this year, and even though they lost to Brantley in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs, head coach Shane Smothers was proud of his team.

“We played hard,” he said. “During the first quarter and a half, we played the best defense we’ve played all year.”

“We had some bad breaks and had some seesaw, crazy plays in the first half, too, and you just can’t do that against a team like Brantley,” he added.

And it was Brantley who put the first points on the board as Derek Holley ran in for a touchdown on a 5-yard run; Adam Hill’s PAT was good, and with 3:30 left in the first quarter, the Bulldogs led 7-0.

The Panthers had a chance to score on their next drive, especially after a great run by LaJordan Crittenden as he went around right end and then reversed on the field before he was stopped by Chester Person at the Brantley 43, but it wasn’t enough to get the Panthers on the board as they went into the second quarter trailing the Bulldogs by seven.

Brantley’s Devonte Porter added the next Bulldog TD on a 25-yard run after the handoff.

Hill’s PAT was blocked by Adrian Paige, and the Bulldogs pulled ahead 13-0 with 8:53 left in the second quarter.

But BCMS soon answered back when senior Victor Marshall scored on a 47-yard run with 5:50 left in the third. LaCory Savage missed the PAT, but the Panthers cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 13-6.

The next Brantley TD came on a Derek Holley two-yard run. Quarterback Chase Hall ran it in for the two-point conversion, and with 2:39 left in the first half, Brantley led 21-6.

The Panthers’ next points came within the last minute of the second quarter as quarterback Rickey Everett sailed a 28-yard pass to LaCory Savage for the touchdown.

Everett threw a pass to LaJordan Crittenden, but the two-point conversion attempt failed.

The Panthers enjoyed closing in on the Bulldogs at 21-12, but it didn’t last long as Chase Hall soon scored on a 3-yard run with 18.7 seconds left in the second quarter.

Hill’s PAT was true, and Brantley led BCMS 28-12 going into the third quarter.

Neither team could muster any points during the third quarter, however, Bulldog Devonte Porter ran in the next Bulldog TD with 9:23 left in the fourth.

Hill’s PAT was good, and Brantley went up 35-12.

On the Panthers’ next possession, Victor Marshall fumbled the ball, and Brantley used it to its advantage as Teven Daniels wasted no time running it in for another Brantley six.

Hill missed the PAT, but the Bulldogs had posted their final points for the night as they led 41-12 with 4:02 left in the fourth quarter.

BCMS added their final score in the last minute of the game as Victor Marshall raced downfield to the goal line.

Quarterback Luke Smothers’ attempt at a two-point conversion failed, and with 39.8 seconds left in the game, the Panthers saw their season come to an end with a final of 41-18.

“I’m especially proud of our seniors,” Smothers said. “We got another week of experience…At least we can say we were here—a lot of teams were at home tonight.”