Green Hope shocks Panther Creek football with 4th-quarter bomb
Blake Watson said the last time he remembered making such as big play was in Pop Warner football when he was 10 years old.
But his senior quarterback Tucker Burkinshaw trusted the sophomore’s hands when it mattered.
On fourth-and-15 with 2:05 left, the pair connected on a 73-yard scoring pass to help Green Hope shock visiting arch rival Panther Creek on Friday night.
The win in the annual “Fight for 55” (N.C. Highway 55) battle improved Green Hope to 4-3 on the season and 1-2 in the Southwest Wake 4A, while Panther Creek fell to 4-4 and 2-2.
“It was a huge win,” Green Hope coach Kwame Dixon said. “We’d been kind of scuffling and hadn’t won in the conference, and our aspirations are to make the playoffs. I didn’t tell my team before the game, but this was a must win.”
Turning point
That winning touchdown.
They said it
“It’s tough,” Panther Creek coach Sean Crocker said. “But we had so many opportunities to make plays, and it slipped out of our hands And when a team with as good of athletes as Green Hope has comes back and makes them, it stings.”
Three who mattered
Tucker Burkinshaw, Green Hope: The senior completed 25 of 37 passes for 237 yards and three TDs.
“As a team we kept real good composure,” Burkinshaw said. “The guys were playing good ‘D’ and keeping us in the game. After halftime we kind of turned the switch on. I figured if I could get the ball to Blake in that situation he was gone.”
Blake Watson, Green Hope: The sophomore caught four passes for 76 yards, including the winner.
“I just thought I had to get the ball into the end zone,” Watson said. “Nobody touched me.”
Dom Samson, Panther Creek: The senior quarterback completed 15 of 27 passes for 264 yards and four TDs.
“I feel like my numbers were a testament to the guys I have around me,” Samson said. “We just need to take this loss like we did after we lost to them and made a third-round playoff run.”
By the numbers
4: TD passes by Panther Creek’s Dom Samson.
16: Panther Creek’s largest lead at 21-5.
237: Passing yards for Burkinshaw.
264: Passing yards for Samson.
Looking ahead
Green Hope hosts Apex in the second of three straight home games Friday night, while Panther Creek will host Holly Springs.
This story was originally published October 9, 2015 at 10:38 PM with the headline "Green Hope shocks Panther Creek football with 4th-quarter bomb."