The Yellville-Summit Panthers faced a tough start to their 2026 football season, falling 27-0 to the Hector Wildcats during Friday night’s season opener on the road.
Hector set the tone early, building a 20-0 lead by halftime and maintaining control throughout the game. Despite the scoreline, Yellville-Summit had several bright spots on both offense and defense.
In the third quarter, Rusty Goodall spearheaded a defensive effort with a quarterback sack that forced a Hector punt. On offense, quarterback Westin Swearingen and Timber Moses combined for a productive drive into Hector territory. Swearingen’s pass to Saweyer Burrow secured a first down, but the Panthers ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
Defensively, Baylor Odegaard made an impact with a tackle for loss that again forced Hector to punt. Later in the game, Swearingen connected with Dane Weldon for another first down, but progress stalled after a penalty negated the play.
Hector added a final touchdown in the closing minutes to seal their victory over Yellville-Summit.
The Panthers will take a bye week next Friday before returning to action on Sept. 11 with another road matchup against Greenland.