As summer comes to a close and students return back to the classrooms, the way is paved for something else to return. Football season is now upon us, and the players and coaches have worked tirelessly for the past few months to prepare for this.

Last season, the Panthers had an excellent season capped off with an Upper-State championship. This year the team is led by a new face. Junior Mikele Colasurdo will be taking the snaps this season after moving up from the back-up spot. He hopes to fill the shoes of Colton Bailey and keep the ball rolling on this high-energy team.

“Having an organized team is everything, if your teammates don’t work well together, the team will not be successful,” Colasurdo said.

Colasurdo had a very successful first outing against Union throwing four touchdowns and rushing for one. The Panthers won the game 59-40.

“We were able to score points and keep the ball on our side, but I feel that we can still work and get even better,” Colasurdo said.

Even though they have battled with some injuries, the team is overcoming them and adapting well to the new circumstances.

The next game on the schedule is Friday as they gear up to take on Seneca at home. The Panthers look to transfer the momentum into this game and give fans an exciting performance.

This will be the first game at home since November when they defeated Emerald in an orderly fashion.

The kick-off is at 7:30 p.m. and the theme for the game will be beach night. So get out the flowery shirts and come out for some Panther football.