Box Score Dragons Fall Short On Comeback
Jackson, TN
The Dragons fell in a heartbreaking loss to the Clark-Atlanta Panthers on Saturday (20-17) as they could not complete the comeback to extend their winning streak. The Dragons relied on the defensive unit early in the game to hold the Panthers' scoreless, as a result of two lost fumbles by the Dragons. With 4:11 left on the clock, David Castillo connected on a 25-yard field goal to give the Dragons a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. 
The Panthers' put their first points of the game on the board with a 2-yard plunge from running back Antonio Ford completing a 12-play 50-yard drive with 13:11 in the second quarter. The Panthers scored their second touchdown of the quarter on a 31-yard pass connection from Charles King to David Grace for a 14-3 lead. The Dragons had plenty of time to complete a 12 play 64-yard drive and close the gap at the end of the quarter. Chris Rini connected on a 7-yard pass to Hollis Moore with an outstanding leaping grab for a touchdown making the score 14-10 going into halftime. 
A defensive battle in the third quarter resulted in both teams keeping the other off the scoreboard for the entire third quarter. At the start of the fourth quarter the Dragons' Jack Howard intercepted a pass from Charles King in the end zone putting a stop to that scoring opportunity for the Panthers. The Dragons would then mount an 8-play 80-yard drive for a touchdown and the 17-14 lead. Chris Rini connected with a wide-open Eric Knowlton on a 38-yard catch and run for a touchdown, bringing the 546 fans to their feet once again. With time now becoming a factor for the Panthers, the Dragons defense held tight stopping another drive. The punt from the Panthers was mishandled by the Dragons giving the Panthers the ball on the 15 yard line. Quarterback Charles King scored from 1 yard out for the go-ahead-touchdown. The extra point was blocked by the Dragons for a 20-17 lead with four minutes left to play. With time running out the Dragons elected to attempt a fake punt on a 4^th and 14 that was stopped a yard short. The change of possession would allow the Panthers to eat up the remainder of the clock and take a 20-17 victory over the Dragons.
The Dragons were led on offense by Chris Rini connecting on 18 of 28 passes for 232 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hollis Moore connected on 10 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown. Defensively the Dragons were led by Corey Jones and Paris Hopper for the second straight week. Jones led all tacklers with 16 and Hopper collected 11 total tackles. Jack Howard and Vernon Kearney each had an interception for the Dragons. Next Week the Dragons (1-1) will travel to Tuskegee, AL for their next contest, as they face the Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University.