By Ken Jackson
Sports Writer

Victory is the only thing that can take the sting out of Gateway’s last football game, and the Panthers can do it tonight.

The Panthers play at Cypress Creek at 7:30 p.m. after a 26-21 loss to Liberty last week that injured the team’s shot at a 7A District 6 playoff berth. Gateway’s never been to the playoffs.

But, more immediately, the loss damaged the team’s psyche.

“For almost four quarters we did enough to have a chance to win the game, and we didn’t. I’m still at a loss for words,” Coach Marlin Roberts said. “That was our game to take. There was some anger and some tears in the locker room afterwards, and truthfully I could have cried with them.”

The Panthers (3-3, 1-1 in 7A-6) trailed 26-14 going to the fourth quarter, but got a 14-yard Efrem Mitchell touchdown run to narrow the gap to five, then got the ball with 5:46 left at their own 39 and drove to the Chargers 8-yard line. Liberty’s Donald Sims-Sylvester intercepted on the next play to stop the drive.

“I feel bad, the kids played their butts off,” Roberts said. “Four quarters. We haven’t gotten many efforts like that, but they gave it. This will probably hurt me more than any game since I’ve been coaching here.”

The game started well for Gateway; Mitchell returned the opening kickoff to the Chargers 35 and Rodriguez plowed in from the 1 to make it 7-0. The Panthers took a 14-13 halftime lead on Zack Smith’s 3-yard run.

The fact that Gateway worked a tough district opponent to the limit wasn’t overlooked on Roberts.

“It’s a sign we’re going the right way,” he said. “The next three games will determine how much we’ve really improved.”

Cypress Creek (0-6), which fell to rival Freedom, 42-0, last week, cannot be taken lightly because of its record.

“They play a tough Metro Conference schedule. They’ll probably look at us as a team they can beat, and it’s their homecoming, so they’ll play jacked up,” Roberts said. “On offense the goals are to secure the ball and finish a game. And I’d be lying if I didn’t want them to play a little mad and remember the feeling from Friday.”

Gateway closes the regular season with 7A-6 games against Celebration, Harmony and Osceola.