FOOTBALL: Caney Creek falls in home opener to Tomball

CONROE, Texas -- The Caney Creek Panthers hosted the Tomball Cougars in their first home game of the season Friday night, which also happened to be Senior Night. After a loss last week to Porter, the Panthers, with new head coach Steve Svendsen, had their sights on a win at home over Tomball.

Watch the the full game, presented by Wiesner Automotive, again here.

Tomball went three and out on their first possession. Caney Creek came out strong on their first possession, immediately showing the strength of sophomore quarterback #7 Jordan Cooper. Caney Creek found the end zone quick and the extra point after by Omar Quintana was good, giving the Panthers a 7-0 lead.

Tomball responded with a score of their own by #3 Tybo Taylor. However, a block in the back brought the ball back and Caney Creek's defense had a chance to hold on to their lead. With only 5:46 left in the first quarter, Tomball responded from their called back touchdown with another touchdown to tie the game at 7.

Tomball's Taylor would score again with 3:32 left in the first. But Caney Creek's Cooper found an opportunity on the next possession to keep the ball and score to tie the game at 14. Caney Creek's defense was able to stop Tomball from getting into the end zone, but Tomball tacked on another three points with a field goal. Tomball's Gilberto Amezaga would score on a short run to give the Cougars a 10 point lead with just under six minutes to go before the half.

On the ensuing drive, sophomore Cooper again showed his speed and arm strength. A big pass to #12 Jordan Woolley, junior, keep the Panthers' hopes at scoring again before the half in sight, but three incomplete passes on the next set of downs forced the Panthers to kick a field goal, putting the score at 24-17 going into the half.

Dalton Grimes, senior, scored on the Panthers first possession coming out of the locker room, tying the game at 24. Momentum and excitement filled the stadium as Panther fans got to their feet. Tomball responded with two consecutive touchdowns by Taylor and a touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter by Jacob Allan to bring the score to 47-24.

Tomball tacked on another touchdown with Christopher Saenz to give them a commanding 54-24 lead with 11:11 left in the game. The only other score Caney Creek would get the rest of the game would be a safety, bringing the night's final score to 54-26.

While the Panthers walked away with a loss, they showed some bright spots on both sides of the ball. There was more passing by the Panthers than has been seen in awhile, and their defense made some big tackles to stop Tomball's quick offense.

Caney Creek will travel to Waltrip for their next game on September 12.