The drive to make it to the regional championships at MetLife Stadium for the second year in a row ended Friday night for the Roselle Park Panthers with their 35-22 loss to the Malcolm X Shabazz Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs scored their first touchdown almost 6 minutes into the game. With 44 seconds left in the 1st quarter, the Panthers evened the score 7-7.
The ball went back and forth between both teams with no touchdowns for the next two quarters.
The last quarter of the game saw the Bulldogs score with a successful two-point conversion four minutes into the 4th quarter giving them an 8-point lead. It did not last for long as the Panthers evened the score at 15 four minutes later. But then the game shifted with the Bulldogs scoring two unanswered touchdowns until the Panthers scored to be down by 7 with two minutes left in the game. A last attempt was made by Roselle Park with an onside kick but it was picked up by the Bulldogs to eventually give them another touchdown. The game ended one minute later with the Bulldogs 35 – Panthers 22.
Even though the run for the Championship is over for Roselle Park, their last game of the season will be the 96th annual Thanksgiving Day game against the Roselle Rams to be held in Roselle at 10 a.m.
Although not victorious in this important game, the Panthers ended their second winning season in a row, and as the team walked off the field, their path to the school buses was lined with the over 100 Panther fans who showed their appreciation and thanks by giving them a round of applause.
