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Honors
Ty Williams, 2002 NWFL Offensive MVP
All-League
Ty Williams, RB (2002 - 1st)
Cliff Green, CB (2002 - 2nd, 2001 - 1st) KR (2001 -
HM)
Greg Damminga, C (2002 - 3rd)
Justen Wochnick, OT (2002 - 2nd)
Jason Loitz, OT (2002 - HM)
Kalani Mantanza, RB (2001 - HM)
Greg Gadbois, DE (2001 - 3rd)
Brandon Baxter, MLB (2001 - 3rd)
Brian Ford, S (2001 - HM)
Rob Johnson, CB (2001 - HM
Steve Gibson, P (2001 - HM)
Al Bangle, LB (2000 - HM)
Rocco Mantza, FB (2000 - HM)
All-America
Ty Williams, NFE 2002 Honorable Mention
Story of the Panthers:
As an independent team in 1998 based out of Salem,
the Panthers organization
surprised everyone at the jamboree with an overtime
upset of the Vikings.
FB Andre Harris led a rushing attack that gained 69
yards on 13 carries and would have won the game in regulation had the
kicker made the trip. The Vikings shanked a 19-yard FG attempt in
overtime giving the Panthers the chance to win the game which they did
on a QB option from one-yard out.
The Chiefs shut out the Panthers in game 2 of the
preseason tournament.
During the regular season, the Panthers played only 3 games defeating the last-place
team of the NWFL by 3 points in a 1-2 effort..
1999 was one of the worst offensive performances in
Northwest history. Oregon avoiding being shut out in all 9 games
they played by scoring 6 points in their season opener. They
wouldn't score another point. The brightest point of the season
was the forfeit victory over the Eastside Chiefs who folded up early in
the year.
The losing continued in 2000 with an 0-10 campaign
but scoring became a little more commonplace. Arguably the MVP of
the season was the Panthers place-kicker who kept the shutouts at bay in
at least 2 games.
2001 opened with a disappointing loss to the
Cavaliers but led to the biggest surprise of the NWFL season; a Panther
2-game winning streak. The Panthers found some playmakers and
battled to four victories and came close to the King County Jaguars in a
4-point loss. With five teams in the Portland/Vancouver area, the
Panthers may have found a shot at playing even with the rest of the NWFL.
Even is what the Panthers did in 2002 playing to a
5-5 record starting an impressive 3-0 campaign that showed promise of an
explosive offense with the addition of eventual NWFL Offensive MVP Ty
Williams at running back who came over from the Columbia Cougars along
with a number of other former Cougars.
After an impressive showing by Panther standards,
2003 should have been the next step to a playoff run, but 2004 looked
more like 2000 as the team was a non-factor in any game it played losing
all 9 by double digits. Many of those players who had come over
after the collapse of the Cougars opted to play for other Portland-area
teams.
2004 would be the Panthers final season and they
would be part of NWFL history showing the discrepancy between the top
teams and bottom teams. Sitting at 0-2 on the season, the Panthers
would win their first game since July of 2002 and two weeks later, won
again, defeating the Cavaliers for the second time in three years.
But sandwiched between those victories was a 99-0 beat down by eventual
NWFL champion Eastside and a few weeks later West Sound would pummel the
Panthers 64-0.
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