The U16 Cumberland Panthers faced their first real test of the minor football season last Friday night and they passed with flying colours, beating the South Ottawa Mustangs 41-21 in the opening game of a four game round robin playoff with the Mustangs and the Gloucester South Raiders.

In last weekend’s other playoff games involving Panther teams, the U14 peewee team beat the Gloucester South Raiders 61-0, the U10 tykes squad beat their Gloucester South Raider counter-parts 30-0 and the U12 team beat the Kemptville Jags 70-0. FRED SHERWIN PHOTO

After routing their opponents in the opening three games of the regular season, the Panthers won their next four games by forfeit. They won their final game by a score of 31-0 after the other team forfeited the rest of the game following the first quarter.

The Panthers and the Raiders both finished the season with identical 8-0 records, while the Mustangs were 7-1. The Mustangs only loss was a two-point defeat to the Raiders on Sept. 8.

With such a wide disparity between the Panthers, Raiders and Mustangs and the rest of teams, the National Capital Amateur Football Association (NCAFA) decided to have them play a round robin series, with the top two teams deciding the A-Cup championship in one final game.

In their opening game against the Mustangs, it took the Panthers’ offence a full two quarters to get out of second gear, but once they did they played like a well-oiled machine, especially quarterback Vincent Anderson, who made several key passes and scored two of his team’s six touchdowns with a pair of long runs.

After a scoreless first quarter, Panthers’ running back Lucas McGuire opened the scoring with a touchdown early in second quarter.

The Mustangs answered back with a long touchdown pass on the next series, but the deadlock didn’t last long as Stephen Blais pulled off a 83-yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff.

A Panthers turnover late in the second quarter would set up the Mustangs second major of the game, and then they tried to return the favour by turning the ball over on a punt return deep in their end near the end of the first half.

Two plays later the Panthers found themselves inside the Mustangs’ five yard line. With 32 seconds left on the clock the tried to run the ball up the middle on three straight plays. The third time appeared to be the charm as the ball appeared to break the plane of the end zone, but after a lengthy discussion between the officials they declared it had not and the second half ended with the two teams tied at 14 points apiece.

After the two teams exchanged touch-downs in the third quarter, the Panthers blew the game wide open in the fourth with touchdowns by Anderson and Gavin Poirier.

The Panthers next game will be against the Raiders this Wednesday. A win would put them directly into the A-Cup final, while a loss would likely result in a tiebreaking formula based on points for and against.

With 21 points already in their favour, the Panthers would likely make it into the final anyway if they keep the score close.

In last weekend's other playoff games involving Panther teams, the U14 peewee team beat the Gloucester South Raiders 61-0, the U10 tykes squad beat their Gloucester South Raider counterparts 30-0 and the U12 team beat the Kemptville Jags 70-0.

All three teams are now through to the A-Cup semi-finals and are now one win away from championship weekend which will take place at the Nepean Sportsplex on Nov. 2 and 3.