Football: Panthers Triumph over Bears in a Thrilling Showdown

The Seattle Prep Panthers earned a .500 record last Friday as they rolled over the Bishop Blanchet Bears 54-31 in a thrilling Metro League rivalry.

As both teams come off losses, they were searching for redemption in their next matchup. This was led by two senior quarterbacks from both teams. Early in the game, the Bears ran an exciting halfback option play as running back Jasper Lytle got a handoff but then unexpectedly threw a deep pass to practically wide-open Mason Mandell for a touchdown.

The Bears quarterback Cole Allegro ’25 ran in a quick sneak into the Panther’s endzone to set the Blanchet Bears off to a good start. This didn’t phase the Panthers as quarterback Beau Oaksmith ’25 rushed for 2 touchdowns in the first half of the game.

Although the Panther’s offense led the way, the defense stood their ground as Will Surbeck picked up a fumble recovery. In the second half, the Panthers leapt out which allowed the sophomore quarterback Leo Harnetiaux to get some reps in the position that he will be bearing as an upperclassman.

Returning from an injury, Oaksmith put on a show for everybody in attendance. The quarterback identified the weaknesses in the Bear’s defense by rushing for over 144 yards and 3 touchdowns. Oaksmith will be a big leader and driving force for the Panthers the rest of the season.

With Seattle Prep’s (2-2) victory over Blanchet, they will head over to South Seattle to face off against the Rainier Beach (2-2) team that is coming off a couple-game win streak. As Blanchet remains winless, they will head to West Seattle stadium to face off against an undefeated O’Dea team (4-0).