BOGUE CHITTO – The Bogue Chitto Bobcats suffered a disappointing 37-34 defeat to the French Camp Academy Panthers Friday night in the opening round of the Class 1A playoffs at Troy Smith Field.

The Bobcats came out strong in the first half and dominated, but the Panthers managed to dominate in the third quarter to spoil BC’s dreams of a state crown.

In the first quarter, Bogue Chitto’s tough defense held their ground in the opening drive of the contest and forced French Camp to a punting situation at the 9:43 mark. On offense, the Bobcats rallied behind their defense and put the first score on the scoreboard when senior running back Jermaine Blackwell scored on a 21-yard touchdown run at the 9:07 mark. Cameron Price was two-of-three on the extra point kicks for the night.

On the next possession, BC’s defense continued their strong stance by pushing French Camp into another punting situation at the 7:17 mark.

Bogue Chitto made their first mistake of the contest when senior quarterback Brock Roberts threw an interception at the 3:30 mark, but BC senior linebacker Jeremy Blackwell was able to make a huge defensive play by stripping the Panthers’ quarterback and sprinting 45 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first quarter. Bogue Chitto’s attempt for the two-point conversion was good. At the end of the first quarter, the Bobcats commanded a 14-0 lead over French Camp.

In the second quarter, the Panthers managed to get on the scoreboard when quarterback Jesse Hosket connected a 22-yard pass to Hunter Mcknight for a touchdown at the 8:25 mark. Sam Gould’s kick was good.

Bogue Chitto answered French Camp’s challenge on their next possession as Brock Roberts hooked up with senior receiver Dennis Rogers for a 71-yard touchdown at the 7:36 mark.

French Camp worked hard to close the gap in the closing minutes of the first half but had to settle for a field goal as senior kicker Sam Gould nailed a 29-yarder at the 1:15 mark. At the end of the half, the Bobcats led 21-10.

In the second half, the Bobcats continued their aggressiveness, but turnovers began to plague the Bobcats once again.

Roberts managed to get BC off to a good start as he connected with Eli Holmes for a 59-yard touchdown pass at the 10:52 mark in the third quarter.

Senior running back Daniel Hughes provided a offensive spark in the third quarter to lead French Camp’s rally as he scored on an eight-yard run at the 6:25 mark. Sam Gould kick was good.

The Panthers would score again on special team as Michael Erving returned a 60-yard punt to pay dirt at the 4:01 mark. Sam Gould’s kick was no good.

At this point the momentum was clearly going in French Camp’s favor as they scored again on Jesse Hosket’s 40-yard rushing touchdown with 49 seconds to go in the third quarter. Sam Gould’s kick was good. After three quarters of action, French Camp held a slim 30-28 lead over the Bobcats.

In the fourth quarter, turnovers continued to be the Achilles heal for the Bobcats as BC fumbled the football and the Panthers recovered in good field position at the 8:45 mark.

Bogue Chitto’s defense rose to the occasion and forced the Panthers to turn the ball over on downs at the 6:10 mark, but Roberts gave the ball back to French Camp after throwing his third interception of the game. However, the Panthers failed to convert on the turnover and had to punt the ball.

Jermaine Blackwell provided an offensive charge for the Bobcats late in the fourth quarter when he punched in an 11-yard touchdown at the 3:29 mark. The Bobcats failed to cash in the two-point conversion attempt.

French Camp answered with a 18-yard touchdown run by Jesse Hosket at the 1:48 mark. Sam Gould kick’s was good.

With seconds remaining, Bogue Chitto tried to rally, but the Panthers managed put the final nail in the coffin when they intercepted a Roberts pass for the fourth time in the game with 29 seconds left.

Offensively, Brock Roberts led BC with 17 completions on 34 attempts for 272 yards with four interception and two touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 74 yards. Jermaine Blackwell had six carries for 45 yards and two touchdowns.

Rogers was the top receiver for the Bobcats with six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Eli Holmes had four catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Jeremy Blackwell paced Bogue Chitto with 20 tackles and a fumble return for a touchdown. Roberts contributed 18 stops. Jermaine Blackwell had 14 tackles. Dakota McGary had nine tackles and Kayin Perkins had eight.

Bogue Chitto concluded their season with a 9-3 worksheet. Friday’s game was the last for 12 Bogue Chitto seniors, including Kurtlyn Lyons, Eli Holmes, Dennis Rogers, Damien Terrell, Theo Simmons, Brock Roberts, Justin Click, Jermaine Blackwell, Nate McKnight, Marcus Moak, Kaylin Perkins and Austin Buffington.

It was also a bitter end for the Bobcat team that reached the 1A south state championship a year ago and had high hopes of making a trip to Jackson this year.