Despite Travis Raley scoring touchdowns on both offense and defense for the McBee High School football team, the Panthers fell to 0-2 last Friday night with a 28-14 loss to North Central.

McBee opened the game with a strong 60-yard drive right down North Central's throat, putting its first six points on the board with a 25-yard run by Raley. The Panthers also tacked on an extra point, putting them ahead 7-0.

Not to be outdone, the Knights also managed to put points on the board with their first offensive possession.

North Central returned the Panthers kickoff to the McBee 15-yard-line, before punching it in a few plays later. North Central's attempt at an extra point also split the uprights, knotting the game 7-7.

After taking turns punting the ball back and forth on fourth downs, McBee mounted its second scoring threat about halfway through the second quarter.

Panther defensive back Jamie Johnson picked off a North Central pass around mid-field, returning it to the Knight's 30-yard-line. The North Central defense stopped the Panthers on a fourth down and inches to reclaim the ball, preventing McBee from putting any points on the board.

With the momentum in their favor, the Knights marched back down the field and scored, moving them ahead 13-7 at the half.

"In my opinion, two of the biggest plays of the game came in the first half, when North Central returned our first kickoff to the 15-yard-line, and we missed the conversion deep in their territory on fourth down," McBee head coach Terry Sowell said. "Had those two plays went differently, it would have been an entirely different ball game."

Despite trailing at the half, McBee returned to take a one-point lead in the third quarter, after Raley returned a North Central fumble in for six points. McBee's attempt at an extra point was good, pushing them ahead 14-13.

The Knights reclaimed the lead in the fourth quarter, also making good on a two-point conversion to put the score at 21-14.

With no timeouts left and only two minutes remaining in the game, McBee was forced to turn to its passing game to try to rush down the field.

An alert North Central defense picked off McBee's Josh Winburn, however, returning the interception to amount for the final 28-14 score.

"You're disappointed anytime you lose, but I believe we showed a lot of improvement from our first game," Sowell said. "We hope to have another good week of practices this week and show even more improvement this Friday night."

The Panthers play host to Johnsonville at 7:30 p.m. Johnsonville enters Friday night's game also with a winless record this season. The Flashes were defeated last Friday by East Clarendon, 26-17.