Flat second half leads to loss at Perry Meridian

By Rex Kirts

The signs in recent weeks pointed toward a good finish to the regular season for South's football team. Then came a giant step backward in the second half at Perry Meridian.
In the regular season finale, the Panthers led 14-3 at the half and had control of the game. But they came out flat in the second half and stayed that way to absorb a 17-14 loss.
The Panthers take a 2-7 record into sectional play at Whiteland Friday. They finished 2-5 in Conference Indiana.
It was a disappointing loss for a couple of reasons. One, Perry Meridian had won only twice this year. Two, the Panthers had played better the previous two games, including beating Columbus North.
THEIR LACK OF FIRE in the second half was a shock. It started when Perry returned the second-half kickoff for a touchdown. It continued with a weak performance on offense, with only two first downs made the last half.
The running game worked well in the first half with junior quarterback Michael Bower gaining a lot of yards and one touchdowns on counter plays. Sophomore tailback Nolan Rogers scored the first TD on a 44-yard run in which he broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage.
In the second half, however, the Panthers managed only 22 net yards on the ground, the line unable to create any room to run. The passing game wasn't a help throughout as Bower completed only one of 11 passes.
The kicking game contributed to the defeat, too, when Drew Barlow missed two field goals inside 30 yards.
"We left a lot of opportunities on the field," coach Kirk Kennedy said. "We played decent the first half. The second half we had absolutely no sense of urgency."
IT WAS HARD to understand, Kennedy said, how a team with the opportunity to win would come out flat like that. This was a chance to win a game on a field that South hasn't had much success lately, playing Southport as well as Perry. It was a chance to continue the good vibes that had built up the last two weeks.
"Frustrating," Kennedy said.
"We had the key turnover (a fumble by Rogers)," he added. "On the kickoff they make one block. Now is that them or is that us? We had worked on it all week. We said they would take the kickoff to the hash.
"There was no sense of urgency. We didn't get excited. You don't just watch - you make things happen."
THOSE ARE ITEMS Kennedy has preached from his first day coaching.
"You think you're making progress. You think you've turned the corner . . . " he said. The turn was in the wrong direction.
This is the second straight year an undersized Perry team has taken the attack to South and won the game. Playing fired up is how the Falcons did it.
"With that 3-5 defense they get a lot of people to the ball," Kennedy said. "That's why our misdirection worked the first half.
"But you still have to block. That requires effort."