There is no doubt that the North Central football program has been making major progress this season and is always preparing for a new challenge.

This weekend’s game at Ben Davis has really shown the Panthers‘ dedication and drive for the game.

The Panthers show up to each game with confidence, a hunger for success, and are always ready to bring positive energy.

“I feel good about tomorrow’s game. I think we had a good week of practice and I think that the whole team has gotten better this week and we’re ready,” quarterback Chase Grove said.

The Panthers received the opening kickoff and came close to scoring on the ensuing drive.

Although they were close to scoring, an overthrow by Grove caused the ball to be turned over. This, however, does not faze Grove, as he knows how to stay calm and collected on the field.

“I just try to have a clear mind and being super calm makes it a lot easier,” Grove said.

After two touchdowns by Ben Davis, making the score 14-0, number 26 Zion Murphy rushed down the line to score, bringing the Panthers up to seven points after gaining an extra point from kicking.

After the touchdown, the focus of the game for the Panthers shifted to the defense. Good defense puts more pressure on the other team.

“I think we need to tackle a lot better and get to the ball quicker,” safety Jameson Hittle said.

Head coach Collin Coffer stressed the importance of dominating the game at the line of scrimmage.

“We have to win upfront, on both sides of the ball. We’re gonna have to fight well. We need to run the ball to throw it,” Coffer said.

A 44 yard run and an 18 yard pass helped Ben Davis score another touchdown on their next drive.

Even though the game started off with the Panthers down, they knew it was not nearly over and it was crucial to carry their energy through the entire game.

“There is a lot of time in football and a lot of plays, so don’t let one mess up your whole game,” Hittle said.

They certainly did not. The crowd began to roar as the Panthers were able to recover their fumble after two touchdowns from the Giants and score, now making the score 32-21.

With the first half completed, the Panthers are down by 11, but determination is only up.

“The game isn’t over yet there’s still a lot of time, in football one play can change the entire game so you never know,” Hittle said.

Though in previous games the Panthers have struggled in the second half, they still went into this quarter with the same positive mindset as always.

“Coming out of half time and not beating ourselves the second half, as the second half hasn’t been our best, we will keep the one play at a time mindset just to be really officiant with what we’re doing,” Coffer said.

Now, North Central Panthers kickoff the second half, and the Ben Davis Giants quickly run down the line scoring a 61 yard touchdown.

North Central quickly recovers after they kick again and proceed to rush down the line to score another touchdown, cheers echoing across the field.

However a North Central Player hits a Ben Davis player during a celebration, resulting in a personal foul and Ben Davis first down.

This doesn’t affect the Panthers though, as they know they must keep pushing to get through this game.

“Control the controllable, if you’re always worried about what you can’t control, it affects the things you can,” Grove said.

After the Giants end up in the red-zone and score, the Panthers quickly follow, making the score 56-28.

It’s important for the Panthers to lift each other up in moments like this to help teammates stay fully focused and dedicated to the game.

“The moments of self sabotage have to diminish and get smaller and smaller. We need to have self awareness as a team,” Coffer said.

North Central is at first down when Grove throws a touchdown pass bringing the Panthers up six.

Though they showed great effort through the game, the Ben Davis Giants scored a 23 yard touchdown securing the win with a final score of 69-35 in the fourth quarter.

Despite the loss, the Panthers showed up and played as a team, never giving up and fully driving all the way to the end, which means a lot to coach Coffer.

“[I want to see my team] playing well together, truly loving each other and being a reference to each other. Loving each other and playing aggressively together is so important,” Coffer said.

With high hopes for the end of the season, Coach Coffer has some expectations for his team as they go into their upcoming sectionals game.