It was a proper cat-fight when Stigler duked it out with Mena on Friday. The Panthers took a 29-19 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bearcats. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Panthers of the 38-20 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in September of 2024.
Despite the loss, Stigler saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Graham Easttom rushed for 115 yards and one TD on only 15 carries, and also threw for 73 yards and one touchdown. Easttom also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making nine total tackles and defending one pass in addition to snagging an interception which he returned for a touchdown.
This is the second loss in a row for Stigler and nudges their season record down to 0-2. As for Mena, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 3-0.
Stigler wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next match, a 7-0 victory against Stilwell on the 19th. As for Mena, they will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Pottsville at 7:00 p.m. on the 26th. The contest will give the Bearcats their first taste of in-conference action this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
