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The North Middle School Gators lost to the E.O. Coffman Panthers 44-12 on the road Tuesday for their fourth loss of the season.

The Gators kept pace on the scoreboard throughout the first quarter, but the rest of the game was controlled by the Panthers to give North a decisive loss.

North head football coach Chuck Reed said that his team knew it was going to be a tough game going in with the depth and size of the Panthers’ roster taking its toll as the contest went on.

Reed added that issues with tackling continued to be a recurring issue for the Gators, and the absence of top edge defender Easton Brandon due to illness only compounded the problem.

The Gators scored both of their touchdowns for the day in the opening period with quarterback Colson Kelley throwing scoring passes to Logan Polkinghorn and Mason Isbell.

On the other side, the Panthers scored three touchdowns in the first quarter to put North behind by a score of 18-12 early.

The Panthers added two more touchdowns in the second quarter to bring the deficit up to double digits.

The Gators trailed 32-12 at halftime.

The Gators were unable to score in the second half while the Panthers added two more touchdowns to put the final deficit at 32 points.

With the loss, the Gators moved to 1-4 on the season.

They will next play Tuesday at Warren County Middle School. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Reed said his team will continue fighting hard through the end of the season with a potential conference playoff berth still in play if they beat Warren County.