21-7 Victory Over Freeman Highlights Hermitage Panthers Team Unity

21-7 Victory Over Freeman Highlights Hermitage Panthers Team Unity

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Hermitage secured a 21-7 victory over Douglas Freeman at Chester E. Fritz Stadium on Friday, fueled by a 190-yard rushing performance from Jahson Allums and a decisive first-half surge.

The Postgame Celebration on the Track

Football always has been a big deal at Hermitage. Band has been as well.

“The band is part of the football tradition. The band is one of our No. 1 supporters.”

Turning the Tide After an Early Deficit

Hermitage rebounded quickly from their deficit. On the first play following the kickoff, Jahson Allums sprinted 80 yards off the right side for a touchdown. Noor Elhouda Lamrhari delivered the first of her three points after.

“Coach called a good play,” Allums said. “The O-line went out there and blocked. I cut back and took it to the end zone. Shout out to all of them.”

Though the 5-11, 180-pound senior was the focus of the Mavericks’ defensive effort, Allums carried 15 times for 190 yards.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Panthers forced a fumble, which Alijah Paige recovered on the Mavericks’ 21.

When I saw the quarterback drop back, I took advantage of the opportunity.”

Overcoming Mistakes and Looking Ahead

In the first half, the Panthers ran just 14 plays but amassed 179 yards. The Mavericks, shorthanded with nine starters injured and unavailable, ran 23 plays for 93 yards. By the final whistle, the Panthers amassed 353 yards (248 rushing, 105 passing) on 39 plays. Freeman accumulated 165 yards (123 rushing, 42 passing) on 37 plays.

“Last week, we went into halftime ahead and got complacent,” Brooks said. “The loss really hurt us. Our main goal tonight was to finish this game.”

While Jean-Pierre acknowledged the value of the win, he stressed that cleaning up penalties—10 for 105 yards—remains paramount as the playoffs approach.

“Tonight, we ran the ball well,” Jean-Pierre said. “Moving forward, we need to be better at (not committing) penalties. They’re biting us. We need to eliminate them because they’re momentum killers. The biggest thing for us is trying to be consistent, which is not easy in high school. We have to find a fine line of consistency that we can depend on. We’re finding it, but we’ll continue to refine it.”

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