From the western part of the county a pack of Panthers descended upon Airport Drive. The Panthers were hungry for a win, Hermitage had 3 losses already and were coming off a loss to rival Glen Allen. The Panthers also had not beaten Highland Springs since the Kane-era of Hermitage football.

Highland Springs would not have it and they sent these Panthers back to their den still hungry and bit bruised after their defense got after Ben Yeanay with not 1, not 2, not 3 but... 4 sacks. Then there are the turnovers...

Devyn Simmons should have had two interceptions... he came away with one, had his hands on another. The Springers also recovered a Hermitage fumble not once but twice, the second time around it was Brennan Johnson, the homecoming king returning it 79 yards for a score. There was also a blocked field goal for the Springers.

There were also those miscues that were recoverable such as a Ben Yeanay fumble that he recovered or on the Panthers last possession of the game a fumble from William McClendon with King Williams recovering the loose ball.

The Panthers were not the only one having ball handling issues. The Springers early on had a bad snap that nearly cost them greatly pinning them back to their own end zone. QB Nelson Layne was intercepted by Andre Clarke, Jr., the only turnover for the Springers.

When the two were not mishandling the pigskin, they were shooting themselves in the football with a total of 27 penalties; 14 for the Panthers, 13 for the Springers.

This was hardly a clean game but every win is not pretty but most losses are ugly. The Panthers will look back at this one and see missed opportunities in the first half and in the second half before the Springers pulled away.

The high for the Springers in the first quarter was an opening drive that went 75 yards in 10 plays that saw the Springers overcome a delay of game penalty and a 4th & 4 situation. The Springers capped the drive off with the first of three touchdowns from Daeron Ferguson on this night.

The low for the Springers came came on a bad snap on 3rd & 10 at their own 23 that saw the ball recovered far enough back that the Springers would have to punt from their own end zone.

The missed opportunity for Hermitage in this first quarter was more a credit to the Springer defense. On 3rd & 6 the Panthers Ben Yeanay hit Bryson Robinson on a pass, Robinson was bound for the end zone but Devyn Simmons made an ankle grabbing tackle.

The Panthers started out the second quarter with a short field and made the most of it on the second play from scrimmage when Ben Yeanay hit Andre Clarke, Jr. on a 42-yard pass. With the PAT the Panthers had a 7-6 lead on the Springers to the surprise of many on hand for the Springers homecoming.

The Panthers defense came up just as big. The Springers had a big return up to the 50 following the Panther touchdown. Eric Byrd busted out the moves on a 30-yard run but with the ball seemingly within striking distance of a score. Two false start calls had set the Springers back greatly and on fourth down the ball went the way of Daeron Ferguson but a tough as nails defense for Hermitage kept the ball out of the end zone, one yard short!

The Springers could have, should have built on their lead despite the fact they started on their own 1. A quarterback keeper right up the gut appeared to be the spark the Panthers needed but that was just the start of a wild series. A series that saw the Springers almost intercept the Panthers QB and their own QB, Ben Yeanay sacked by Vosean Street. The Panthers elected to punt but had everyone fooled as it proved to be a fake and the Panthers went the distance and more for the first down. The drive however folded under penalties, 5 to be exact including an intentional grounding.

At no point during the first half did the game feel out of reach and even in the third quarter it was never out of reach but it did feel as though they were getting further away.

The Panthers had the ball first and that first possession ended with a Devyn Simmons interception. The Panthers would get another chance following a wild touchdown for the Springers. The Springers covered 49 yards in 5 plays with Daeron Ferguson finding the end zone but fumbling and Carter Reid covering the loose ball for the score. That wild series put the Springers ahead for good.

This go around Earlonte Winston carried the ball three times before Ben Yeanay took his shot and got the first down on a pass. Soon thereafter the Panthers fumbled, then recovered only to fumble again and have the Springers come away with it.

The Panther defense and Nicholas Christian sack forced the Springers to a 3 & out but the Panther offense would once again squander an opportunity.

Hermitage was the benefactor of a pass interference call against Highland Springs. The Panthers had the opportunity they wanted, they needed with the ball at the Springer 6 facing 1st & 10 but there was false start, then an incompletion. 3rd & 15 the Panthers fumbled but recovered but the damage was done as Hermitage was now looking at a 4th & 12 and elected for a 41-yard field goal try which would be blocked.

Exiting the third quarter the Panthers were only down 13-7 but it felt like so much more with two turnovers and a blocked field goal. The game was slipping away.

For three quarters the Panthers were within striking distance of Hermitage but that all changed in the fourth quarter despite a big play for the Panthers in the early going.

The Springers Nelson Layne, Jr. was intercepted by Andre Clarke, Jr. on third down to once again keep the Panthers within range of the upset. On the Panthers first two offensive plays they were hit with penalties but Earlonte Winston managed a first down to extend the drive. That drive came to an end at the hands of a former Panther himself in Jayden Shuler who got to Ben Yeanay with the sack.

Hermitage would never be any closer to the Springers rest of the night. The Springers covered 66 yards in 5 plays, Daeron Ferguson to no surprise covering 30 of those yards including the final 24 to give the Springers a little cushion, up 20-7 with 6:45 to go in the game.

Hermitage needed a score, it would not happen. On the Springers 21 yard line the ball would be fumbled and Mister Homecoming King himself, Brennan Johnson would grab it and go racing down the visitor sideline with the pick-6! In one minute and ten seconds the Springers lead had grown from 6 points to now 20.

Hermitage needed a score that would never come. With a mix of starters and backups the Panthers put together a 64-yard drive in 6 plays overcoming 4 penalties along the way. The Panthers pushed the ball to the 10 of Highland Springs, a touchdown felt imminent but William McClendon nearly coughed the ball up on the run while Kings William made the cover. Now third down, the Panthers had 1, maybe two plays left... next play was an incomplete pass. The Panthers scrambled to get set but time was not on their side, the play would never materialize and victory belonged to the Springers.

Daeron Ferguson was a beast in the run game with 2 touchdowns on the ground and 115 yards on 13 carries.

Brennan Johnson had a 79-yard pick-6 to put this game out of reach in the fourth quarter but also had a half dozen tackles to cap off a busy week in which he committed to Virginia Tech and was named Homecoming King.

Devyn Simmons didn't get a chance to get a pick-6 of his own but he did have an interception and recorded 5 tackles against the Panthers on a night where he was all over the field.

Springers improve to 34-26-3 versus the Panthers.

Springers are now 15-6 at Victor Kreiter Stadium.

This was the Springers 5th straight win against the Panthers.

Coach Loren Johnson improves to 7-4 all-time versus Hermitage.