• Home
  • >
  • >
  • Big plays mark Panthers first win of the season

Big plays mark Panthers first win of the season

Rahmaan Rinkin takes a pick 6 to the goal line in Bartlett’s 32-6 win against PURE Academy on Aug. 19.

Bartlett showed its big-play capabilities on Friday, Aug. 19, jumping out to an early lead and then shutting down PURE Academy to win its first game of the season, 32-6.

It was the career 100th win for Panthers head coach Lance Tucker.

Head coach Lance Tucker earned his 100th career win.

The game started with a bang, as senior Marco Tyson returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown to get the home crowd riled up.

PURE was able to move the ball deep into Panther territory on its first two possessions, but coughed the ball up on its opening drive, with junior cornerback Devin Rutherford recovering the fumble at the Bartlett 33.

On the ensuing drive, Panthers quarterback Braylen Ragland, a senior who transferred from White Station, broke free on a long run around left end and was finally brought down at the 2-yard line, setting up an easy score up the middle for running back Geron Johnson on the next play.

Down 13-0, PURE drove the ball downfield yet again, getting big runs from Cam’ron Duhan. On fourth down and 11 just inside the red zone, wide receiver Joshua Bradley hauled in a deflected pass for what would be PURE’s only score of the game.

Braylen Ragland (7) looks for a seam to pick up a few more yards.

Ragland, who missed his target on a deep ball earlier and saw a long gain negated by a dropped pass, connected with wide receiver Jade Kneeland on a 31-yard TD pass with 9:51 left in the half to give Bartlett a 20-6 lead.

Less than a minute later, senior Rahmaan Rinkin picked off a pass and returned it 43 yards for another score, giving Bartlett a 26-6 cushion.

Rahmaan Rinkin (8) and Devin Rutherford (24) celebrate after Rinkin’s pick 6.

Johnson scored on another short run with 4:31 remaining in the half to give the Panthers a 32-6 lead at the break.

While Bartlett continued to move the ball in the second half, going to its bench about mid-way in the third quarter, the Panthers did not score again.

Sophomore DeShaun Williams lunged at the goal line on a run midway through the fourth quarter, but the referees determined he lost the ball just as his elbow was coming down and PURE recovered it for a touch back.

Bartlett’s defense was solid, limiting PURE from having any real scoring opportunities in the second half.

And Ragland showed he can move Bartlett downfield with his arm. Some of the Panthers big plays to keep drives going were downfield completions to Kneeland and junior Jeremiah “Snap” Reed.

Before the game, the four daughters of David Pleasant, a Memphis firefighter killed in the line of duty Aug. 10, were photographed with current and retired firefighters after a moment of silence.

Bartlett finished with 17 first downs and limited PURE to just 6. The Panthers were penalized nine times for 67 yards. PURE was penalized 7 times for 49 yards, many of those infractions offside calls early in the game.

Bartlett will travel to Hoover, Alabama, to take on powerhouse Hoover High School on Aug. 26. PURE Academy will face Pope John Paul II in Henderson, Tennessee, in its second game of the 2022 campaign.

Related Posts