By Amy Thrash, Sports Reporter • amy@southerntorch.com

PELL CITY, Ala. — The Fort Payne Wildcats were defeated by the Pell City Panthers, 21-17 in the final seconds of the game.

To start the game, both the Wildcats and the Panthers had a pair of three-and-outs.

In the second quarter, Jordan Bain threw a 14-yard pass to Matthew Shaddix to put the Wildcats in scoring position.  Alex McPherson kicked a 37-yard field goal giving the Wildcats the 3-0 lead with 10:07 remaining in the second quarter. The Panthers had an 80-yard drive making the score 7-3 with 6:50 remaining in the second.

In the third, Shaddix broke a tackle for a Wildcat touchdown, making the score 10-7 with 5:14 left in the third quarter.

On the third down in the fourth, Bain was hit out of bounds. The late hit call on the Panthers kept the drive alive. Bain connected with Shaddix for a 51-yard touchdown pass for a Wildcat score. McPherson made the PAT to make the score 17-7 with 8:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Pell City Panthers then bolted down the field for a 73-yard touchdown.  The Fort Payne Wildcats went three-and-out on their next possession. The Panthers scored a 18-yard touchdown to make the score 21-17 with 2:01 left in the game. The Panthers then put pressure on quarterback Jordan Bain. Hoping the Wildcats still had time on the clock, Bain threw the ball away but officials ruled that the time had ran out.

Matthew Shaddix is Coach Elmore’s Offensive Player of the Week, and Connor Shcharder is the Defensive Player of the Week. Fort Payne will be on the road again this week where they will battle for the TopCat Trophy against Scottsboro at 7pm.