Knox Central picked up a crucial district win while clinching the No. 3 seed in the process by defeating Lincoln County on the road, 30-28.
Steve Partin continued his impressive season dominating on both offense and defense. He added two rushing scores and also caught a touchdown pass while recording an unofficial 18 tackles on defense.
Freshman quarterback Mason Griffith came up big as well, throwing two key touchdown passes.
The win improved the Panthers to 5-4 overall.
The Patriots scored first, taking a 7-0 advantage with 7:16 remaining in the first quarter.
Knox Central managed to answer on its ensuing offensive drive led by Partin’s two-yard touchdown run. The Panthers failed to add the two-point conversion and trailed 7-6 with 3:12 left to go in the first quarter.
Knox Central’s offense continued to hit stride behind an 80-yard touchdown pass from Mason Griffith to KT Turner, giving the Panthers a 14-7 lead with 8:24 left in the first half.
Griffith continued with the hot hand on Knox Central’s ensuing possession. This time around, he found Partin open for a 39-yard touchdown strike as Dustin Buckner’s squad found themselves ahead 22-7 advantage with five minutes left in the first half.
A 22-yard touchdown run by Lincoln County cut Buckner’s squad’s lead to 22-14 with 7:32 left in the third quarter.
Knox Central answered with its own offensive scoring drive as Partin’s two/yard touchdown run combined with his two-point conversion gave his team a 30-14 edge with 10:55 remaining in regulation.
The Patriots answered with touchdowns on consecutive drive to cut their deficit to 30-28 but couldn’t get any closer.
