The Panthers came into their third home game this season against the Woodlands Highlanders looking to capitalize off their win the following week against the Conroe Tigers.

Statistically, the Woodlands is the toughest team the Panthers have had to face all season, meaning Oak had to be on point if they wanted to pull away with a win.

Oak’s defense took on a dominant approach to their playstyle with a stop on the Highlanders beginning drive that set the tone going into the rest of the game.

The Panthers offense started out looking numb although a few drives later Oak seemingly found themselves and started gaining ground.

Oak struck first on the scoreboard thanks to senior quarterback Montrell Bolton’s 47-yard pass to senior wide receiver Dwight McGlothern giving the Panthers an early lead 7-0 halfway through the first quarter.

“I felt like we had a great connection from the beginning of the game,” Bolton said.

The lead for the Panthers, however, didn’t last for long as the Highlanders inflicted a touchdown of their own onto the Panthers five minutes through the first quarter. Tying it up even at 7 apiece.

Fortunately, the amazing duo of McGlothern and Bolton struck again with a 65-yard touchdown pass, handing the lead to the Panthers once again, all in the first quarter.

Then, the Woodlands struck its second blow of the game with a field goal closing the small lead of the Panthers to 14-10 with under one minute to go in just the first quarter.

Moving into the second quarter, the Panther defense kept up with the Woodlands’ pace of play and did not allow a score in the second quarter. The Oak offense complemented the excellent defensive play with a 1-yard touchdown from sophomore Charles Garrett, strengthening the small led to a convincing 21-10 heading into the second half.

Looking ahead to the second half the Panther defense couldn’t have looked better. Overall from the defensive line to the backs everyone did their job and kept the Highlanders away from the endzone.

The Panthers offense couldn’t get to the Woodlands endzone during the second half keeping the score at an impressive 21-10 in favor of the Panthers.

This was more than likely the best show of Panthers football we have seen this season; the defense held the number 17 team and recent state title contender to 10-points, which is something to be proud of. The dynamic duo of Bolton and McGlothern did great once again with big help coming from the offensive line and the stellar running back core.

“This was really the one game that displayed everyone’s talents and how capable we were as a team,” senior offensive lineman Blaine Birner said. “I was very proud of our win; winning a game like that is big for not only the football team but the entire student body.”

Oak will continue their season with a 4-1 record going up against the titan of a 5-0 Klein Collins Tigers at Klein Memorial Stadium on October 4 at 7 pm.