The McBee High School football team improved to 3-2 on the season last Friday with a come-from-behind 20-14 win on the road at Christ Church.

The Panthers struck hard and fast, jumping ahead 12-0 with two Brandon Black touchdowns on the Panthers' first two possessions of the ball game.

After getting out to a quick lead, the Panthers were victims of bad fortune, fumbling a snap on their own 3-yard line that was recovered in the end zone by Christ Church to cut the McBee lead to 12-7.

The Cavaliers struck again from the McBee 3-yard line in the second quarter, pushing ahead 14-12 and carrying the lead with them into the locker room at half time.

The Cavaliers touchdown in the second quarter was set up by an incredible Hail Mary toss with 1:45 left in the second half, which was hauled in by a diving Christ Church receiver.

"We took that two touchdown lead and then tried to put it on cruise control," McBee head coach Trey Woodberry said. "I don't know if it was the long drive or what, but I feel like we played very flat the entire first half, and really the whole game. We never got going until we had our backs against the wall."

With their backs against the wall, and with time running down, the Panthers did get going last Friday night. With under two minutes left in the game and facing fourth and 10 from their own 10-yard line, the Panthers opted to go for broke and completed one of their few passes of the season - an 11-yard completion from Josh Windburn to Mark Mixon that kept the Panthers in the ball game.

One play later, with 1:22 left on the clock, Black again broke loose for the Panthers, hauling the ball 65 yards before being chased down at the Cavalier 5-yard line.

That left Travis Raley to finish the drive. He took the ball in from the 5 to push the Panthers ahead 18-14 and then carried the ball in for the two-point conversion to give McBee a 20-14 lead.

The Panthers' defense stepped up to stop Christ Church on its last possession of the ball game, taking the ball back over with 16 seconds left in the game and kneeling on it to record the win.

"Two years ago we would have found a way to lose this game," Woodberry said, "but these guys are used to winning now, so they found a way to win it. I think they displayed a lot of heart in doing that."

The Panthers recorded over 300 rushing yards for the fifth time in five games this season, with Black piling up 255 of the yards on 28 carries, and Raley making up the other 48 yards on 13 carries.

The victory over the Cavaliers sends the Panthers into Thursday's region opener at Timmonsville on a two-game winning streak. They will face a 0-5 Whirlwinds squad, which Woodberry feels is an underrated team.