Pelion’s hot start has cooled down as the team lost its second game in a row last Friday, following a 35-14 defeat against Mid-Carolina. 

The Corey Helms era got off to a great start with Pelion winning its first two games by a combined 65 points. The team lost its first game of the season in a 28-27 thriller versus Swansea before taking a gut punch against Mid-Carolina. 

“ We got beat in all three phases that we talk about with effort, toughness, and discipline,” Pelion head coach Corey Helms said. “I think our guys were kind of riding high a little bit, and we got a lot of work to do.”

Pelion was simply outplayed and outphysicaled. Almost all of Mid-Carolina’s offense came from the ground as its offensive line created wide-open lanes for the runners. The Rebels finished with over 315 yards of offense in the game. At least 310 of that came on the ground. 

Meanwhile, the Panthers got nothing going on the ground, rushing for around 10 yards for the whole game. 

“They controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” Helms said. 

The Panthers found some success in the passing game. Quarterback Alan Moore threw for over 130 yards and had a touchdown, but he also threw two costly interceptions inside Pelion’s own territory. 

“We weren't able to run the ball, and that hurts us a lot, so then we were put in a lot of passing situations,” Helms said. “That's not who we are as a team, so we need to start by running the ball better.”

Receiver Jai Chuniesingh had another explosive game, going for over 100 yards receiving and catching the touchdown pass from Moore. 

Pelion was in a decent position after the first half. The Panthers led 14-7 after scoring on offense and defense, and shut down Mid-Carolina’s offense after allowing an opening drive touchdown. 

The Panthers got on the scoreboard near the end of the first quarter after Moore threw a dump-off to Chuniesingh. He ran the ball 36 yards to the endzone and a made PAT evened the score at seven. 

After trading a few possessions, Mid-Carolina moved into the red zone and threatened to score right before halftime. 

Pelion’s Johnathan Davis had other plans, jumping the route and snapping the ball from the air. He took off like a jet engine and ran 65 yards to the goal line to give Pelion its only lead of the game. 

Mid-Carolina came out and took firm control in the second half, outscoring the Panthers 28-0. The Rebels' run game caught fire as the team started force-feeding Wyatt Mazza and Ryker Woolstenhulme.

Pelion’s offense went cold, rushing for negative yardage and gaining less than 70 through the air. Both of Moore’s interceptions came in the second half. 

The loss drops Pelion to 2-2 overall this season. The Panthers will be looking to snap their two-game skid and get back in the win column this week with a game against a 4-1 Eau Claire team.

“ I'm not satisfied. I think we've done some really good things, but we've got a long way to go,” Helms said. 

Following the game against Eau Claire, Pelion will begin its region season. The Panthers play five conference games, which will determine their playoff destination. Helms is hoping his team shows a bit more fight in those games than this one. 

“ We’ve got to practice better. We’ve got to play harder, play more disciplined,” Helms said. There's a lot. You can look through everything. We’ve got to clean up pretty much every phase of the game.”

Week 4 scoreboard

Summerville: 50, Chapin: 14

Oceanside Collegiate: 24, Dutch Fork: 20

Irmo: 59, Myrtle Beach: 21

River Bluff: 67, Cheraw: 19

White Knoll: 34, Cane Bay: 10

Brookland-Cayce: 35, South Aiken: 14

North Augusta: 56, Gilbert: 14

Gray Collegiate: 38, Midland Valley: 6

Swansea: 30, Barnwell: 12

Batesburg-Leesville: 56, Calhoun County: 7

Mid-Carolina: 35, Pelion: 14

Northside Christian: 32, Spartanburg Christian 14