Though they were just a little more than a mile away from their home field, Regan Pettway and his Boyd-Buchanan teammates were trying to find a comfort zone Friday night against host and neighbor Brainerd in a Region 3-2A football game.
During the offseason, the Buccaneers had gone through a coaching change and had shifted from a spread offense to primarily a running attack. Against the swarming Panthers, the offense and the Bucs' resilience as a team were put to the test until junior tailback Pettway and the Boyd-Buchanan front line gained control.
With the Bucs' lead reduced to one score with three minutes elapsed in the third quarter, Pettway scored two back-breaking touchdowns in the Bucs' 35-14 victory.
Pettway finished with 137 yards on 17 carries. His scoring runs of 13 and 11 yards provided some much-needed breathing space after the Panthers sliced the 21-0 deficit with a scoring drive to end the first half and another one to open the third quarter.
"I was able to get comfortable out there, and our plays worked out well," said Pettway, in his first year as a starter. "Sometimes it takes a while to get comfortable, but once you do, good things happen. Every yard I gained was because my boys were blocking for me. They allowed me to succeed."
The Bucs (2-0, 1-0) are playing six freshmen in various roles on offense, defense and special teams. They have first-year starters at quarterback and center as well as at tailback.
"We changed offenses and we are finding some answers there," said first-year head coach Carter Cardwell. "We are still a work in progress. Regan stepped up and had a night tonight. We go to the hot hand and our guys seem to relish the opportunity.
"This game was a good challenge, and we knew it would be a good challenge. We knew that they have talent. Really, they just haven't had a break or two so far in some games."
After Boyd-Buchanan went up 21-0 behind a fumble return and two Jeremy Borders touchdowns, the Panthers found their stride behind senior quarterback Vesta Melvin, who went 13-for-28 for 181 passing yards and two touchdowns.
On the final play before halftime, Melvin found Jamual Herman for a 20-yard score. Melvin was magical again to open the second half, leading an opening drive the concluded with a 22-yard pass to Jaylon Calloway.
The Bucs stiffened and kept the Panthers at bay with strong defense and a solid running game.
Boyd-Buchanan finished with 279 yards on the ground while gaining just 10 through the air. Borders was a strong complement to Pettway in the backfield, gaining 98 yards.
"We had the same situation that we did last week, but our guys responded," Cardwell said. It's a just fun bunch. You can take the numbers off the jerseys because they go out and play hard as a team."
Trey Holland was one of the main targets for Melvin and the Panthers (0-3, 0-1). He picked up 90 yards on seven receptions.
Contact Greg Thompson at sports@timesfreepress.com