Panthers Eliminated After Woodrow Loss

Hillcrest’s postseason hopes were dashed on Thursday with a 24-13 loss to Woodrow Wilson at Loos Stadium.

The Panthers (2-5, 1-2) didn’t capitalize on enough of their opportunities in what amounted to a must-win scenario in order to qualify for the playoffs in the 10-team District 6-5A Div. II.

The league is divided into two zones, with the top two of five teams in each zone earning playoff spots after a round-robin. With losses to Seagoville and now Woodrow — which have clinched the two berths in Zone B — the Panthers know their unfortunate outcome with three weeks still to play.

Hillcrest battled back from a 14-0 deficit on Thursday but could never get on even terms with the Wildcats (4-4, 3-1). Jacoby Ogbanna scored the only touchdown for the Panthers on a second-quarter run.

Hillcrest penetrated into Woodrow territory on three consecutive drives to open the second half but only mustered a field goal to show for it. Kylen Johnson ran for a team-high 69 yards for the Panthers.

Dual-threat quarterback Cam McGuire was the standout for the Wildcats. He rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown and also passed for 278 yards and two scores — both to Jacob Crissey.

Meanwhile, Hillcrest will host Conrad next week before wrapping up the season with two cross-zone games against non-playoff opponents, likely Spruce and Adamson.