Cheltenham couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They took a 28-20 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wilson Bulldogs on Saturday. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Panthers of the 40-26 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in September of 2023.
Despite the defeat, Cheltenham saw an underclassman step up: Kendall Jackson threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 11.1 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown. Carsen Giddiens was Jackson's top target, picking up 75 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Even if they lost, Cheltenham's defense still kept up the pressure with four sacks. Elijah 'Eli' Burnley was especially locked on to Wilson's QB and sacked him twice.
Correll Akings went supernova for Wilson, rushing for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Akings was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 51 yards.
Cheltenham will square off against Central Bucks East at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Central Bucks East focused on turnovers this week as team gave up four on Friday. As for Wilson, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Plymouth Whitemarsh at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
