Sale Creek football coach Ron Cox speaks with his team during a break in a scrimmage at Silverdale Baptist on Aug. 4, 2017. Last Friday, the Panthers beat Copper Basin for their first region win in two years.When Sale Creek’s varsity football team rallied late for a 27-26 Region 3-1A win over Copper Basin last Friday at Finley Stadium, it put the Panthers on the cusp of earning a goal that has been six years in the making.
The gutsy win has set up Sale Creek to earn its first state playoff berth in the program’s six-year history.
“Our goal before the season was to finish with a .500 record and to earn a playoff spot,” Panthers coach Ron Cox said after his team’s first region win since 2016. “We knew what was on the line going into the game, and I’m really proud of the way our guys fought till the end to get a huge win for our program.
“The players have handled it well. We celebrated quite a bit right after the game, but they came back Monday ready to practice and try to win our next game and help us get to our other goal for the season. Now we want to go out and win next week and get third.”
If the Panthers defeat Lookout Valley next week at Finley, they will earn at least the No. 3 seed from the region, but regardless of the outcome of that game, unless winless Copper Basin can knock off both South Pittsburg and Lookout Valley later this season, Sale Creek will finish no worse than fourth in the region.