By Owen Berk
The Panther’s Tale

Week Four of the No. 1-ranked Panthers’ season saw them face off against fourth-ranked Hutchinson. Once again the Panthers proved they’re deserving of their ranking.

The Salthawks put up more of a fight than any other team the Panthers have played all season, even cutting the lead to five points in the third quarter before pulling away for the 46-20 win.

Junior Michael Littleton, who usually plays behind senior wide receivers Kenyon Tabor, Kai Lemons and Lachlan Jones, had eight receptions for 83 yards and three receiving touchdowns.

Derby’s defense shut down Hutchinson’s top two rushing threats, holding senior Tracy Harris and junior Brody Smith to a combined 28 rushing yards.

The plan for those two seemed to work to perfection, although junior fullback Joesiah Galindo had 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He had an 80-yard touchdown run to take an early 7-6 lead in the first quarter.

After Hutch closed the gap to 25-20 in the third quarter, Derby scored three straight touchdowns to close out the game. Derby is 4-0, while Hutchinson is 3-1

Next week Derby travels to Bishop Carroll, which is ranked fourth in 5A and and has won three straight after a season-opening loss to Northwest.