Berry turned back LaGrange's second half rally for a 34-21 win Saturday at Callaway Stadium. The loss left the Panthers 0-2 heading into next week's USA South conference opener at Southern Virginia.

"I'm proud of our guys and how we responded in the second half," coach Earl Chambers said. "They showed a lot of resilience to bounce back and get in back in the game. Berry is a tough opponent, and we can't make any mistakes if we want to give ourselves a chance to win. However, we still have a lot of work to do in all phases, so we must watch the film and make corrections to prepare for the conference."

Freshman quarterback Tyler Coleman was 8-of-12 for 166 yards and two touchdowns, all coming in the fourth quarter. Sophomore tight end De'Queze Fryer had over 100 yards receiving for the second straight week, finishing with 102 yards. He is the first Panther since Marsalis Jackson did it in 2013.

Berry (2-0) raced to a 31-0 lead in the first half. The Vikings rolled up 293 yards of total offense, holding LC to 80 total yards. 

Freshman linebacker Jaylen Colvard got LC on the scoreboard in the third quarter. Colvard jumped a Blake Hembree pass and returned it 32 yards untouched to make it 31-7. It was the first interception return for a TD by the Panthers since the 2017 season.

In the fourth quarter, Berry added a field goal to extend its lead to 34-7. Coleman and the Panthers answered with a six play 62-yard scoring drive. Coleman finished the drive with a 40-yard strike to LJ Flint for LC second touchdown. 

The Vikings pinned the Panthers back at their own 11 following a punt. LC needed only three plays to cover the 89 yards. On second down, Coleman went to Fryer for 16 yards to the 35. On the next play, the freshman found Fryer wide open down the middle for a 65-yard touchdown. Alex Rivera's extra point made it a 13-point game with 3:53 remaining. 

The Panthers got the ball back with an onside kick. Rivera's kick bounced off a Viking player with Roderick Kirkland recovering the ball at the LC 41. But the Viking defense made a stand, holding the Panthers on downs to ice the game.

Sophomore defensive back Klynell Johnson had 12 tackles in the game. Sophomore defensive end Malachi Parker added seven, including one for a loss.

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