In one of the biggest slugfests of the year so far, Pattonsburg outlasted North Andrew 68-62 in a slugfest in which neither team could stop the other. In the end, only two factors separated the two teams – Pattonsburg won the opening toss, which forced North Andrew to play catchup, and Pattonsburg converted three more extra point tries than North Andrew.
For Pattonsburg, Steven Willhite put up his usual numbers, completing 32 of 40 passing attempts for 492 yards. He ran for another 134 yards, the most he has run for since last year against Worth County; he was the man delivering the punishment at the end of the run.
The Panthers lost Cameron Jones for the year (ACL), and the question was whether they would hold up against stiff competition. It did, with Patrick Cowley getting 11 grabs for 196 yards, Dakota Eaton 11 for 168, and Brett Emig 7 catches for 91. Carter Crone also got some action, getting three grabs for 37 yards.
For North Andrew, the reason for their improvement from last year was that Jaden Baker emerged as a force at quarterback, getting 22 carries for 162 yards. A freshman, Hayden Ecker, stepped up and got 14 carries for 144 yards. Chance Warner got 15 carries for 48 yards, many times converting short yardage situations, as he was a human bulldozer.
The Panthers marched the ball right down the field to start the game, as a pair of catch and runs from Patrick Cowley picked up 30 yards to the North Andrew 39. Three carries from Willhite picked up 31 more to the eight, and then Carter Crone picked up the rest, with a red shirt draped all over him with 10:03 left. It was that kind of game for the North Andrew defense, with the Cards covering people perfectly, only for them to still somehow come up with the catch. Brett Emig caught the extra point pass to make it 8-0.
North Andrew started off at their own 38 and marched on the ground to the 29 before Baker found Clayton Linville all alone and uncovered for a strike with 8:27 left. Baker ran in the extra points to make it 8-8.
Pattonsburg struck quickly and only needed one play as Willhite aired it out to Patrick Cowley, who came up with a grab with a defender draped all over him, and he took it to the house from 65 yards out with 8:15 left. Willhite got a block from Clark Adler and converted the extra points to make it 16-8.
Back came North Andrew down to the 29 before Hayden Ecker bounced one outside for 27 yards down to the 2. That set up Baker’s score with 5:49 left. But Baker’s scramble on the extra point try was denied, and Pattonsburg was still up 16-14.
Pattonsburg started off at their own 15 and then Cowley took an outside screen to the 34. That set up another long strike when Steven Willhite aired it out to Dakota Eaton, who outran everyone and got two steps on his man before hauling it in from 46 out with 5:20 left. Willhite was denied on the extra point try and Pattonsburg remained up 22-14.
Both sides finally got stops, with North Andrew going three and out and Pattonsburg driving into North Andrew territory before being stopped on downs at the 38. North Andrew was faced with fourth and six at the Pattonsburg 27, but then Baker broke the containment, one of several times he did it, and got all the way down to the Pattonsburg 8. That set up Ecker’s score with 9:58 left in the second from three yards out. But a bad snap quashed North Andrew’s extra point try, and Kaden Koch dropped Baker in the backfield to deny the try to keep Pattonsburg up 24-20.
Pattonsburg got an 18 yard catch and run from Cowley and a 17 yard catch and run from Emig down to the 25, and Eaton took another pass for 22 more down to the three. The Panthers overcame a sack back to the five, and Willhite scrambled into the end zone with 7:59 left. This time, with Willhite in the grasp of a red shirt, he got the ball off, and Eaton adjusted his route and made a diving grab to make it 30-20, putting Pattonsburg up two possessions.
Pattonsburg had a golden opportunity to go up three possessions, but after Eaton recovered the ensuing kickoff, and Pattonsburg marched down to the 15, a facemask put it back to the 19 and Willhite, while in the grasp of a red shirt, found nobody home but Clayton Linville, who picked it off at the four.
North Andrew flipped the field as Ecker got loose again, this time going 71 yards down to the Panther one before Eaton caught him. That set up Baker’s score with 5:26 left to make it 30-26. But a mixup on the handoff blew up the extra point try, and Baker was stopped just short of the goal line.
The fireworks continued on the first play from scrimmage, as Willhite aired one out from 37 yards out and Eaton came up with it to make it 38-26 after Willhite ran in the extra points. But after North Andrew got the ball back after the ball didn’t go the necessary ten yards, the defensive end got sucked in and Baker had all day to burst 36 yards from the Pattonsburg 39 to the three. That set up Baker’s three yard score with 4:40 left, and he powered his way in to cut it to 38-34.
Pattonsburg was not done yet in the first half as they overcame a sack and a penalty to punch it in once more. First, Willhite was sacked and faced with a third and 16 at the 37 as a play action pass fooled nobody. But Cowley’s 16 yard catch and run was good enough for a first down. Then, a holding penalty pushed the ball all the way back to the 40. It didn’t matter as Emig caught one for 10 to the 30, Eaton, who was shaken up a few plays later, came back and his catch and run made it a manageable third and seven at the 18. Eaton converted again on a catch and run to the 8, and Cowley showed some skill as a runningback on a rare handoff play, breaking a tackle and getting in with 48 seconds left. Eaton caught a pass in the end zone to make it 46-34 at the half.
North Andrew got the ball to start the second half, and Baker showed his ability to break containment, scrambling 13 yards on third and five to the Panther 22. Two plays later, he broke containment again, taking it 20 yards to the house with 10:03 left. He hurdled his way into the end zone to make it 46-42.
North Andrew nearly held on the next series, as Pattonsburg was faced with third and seven at the 33. But Willhite ran for a first down to the 24. A holding penalty set them back to the 36, and two misfires set up third and 22. But Brett Emig made one of two clutch catches that night, catching one over the middle for 33 yards down to the three. Two plays later, Willhite was in the end zone, and Carter Crone caught the extra point pass to make it 54-42 with 6:35 left in the third.
North Andrew came marching back as Baker carried the load and a defensive holding penalty put the ball on the 19. A fake reverse play fooled nobody, and Ecker could only pick up a few, setting up third and eight at the 17. But once again, Baker broke containment, shooting down the middle for a score with 2:51 left in the third. Clark Adler made a perfect one on one tackle on Warner, no easy task, to keep it at 54-48.
Pattonsburg began marching down the field again, converting third and inches at their own 35 when Willhite picked up four. Then, on third and two at the 33, Willhite took a spread draw and broke into the open down the left side right before the third quarter ended, taking it to the house. Carter Crone caught the extra point pass in the middle of the end zone to make it 62-48 with 43 seconds left.
Once again, Pattonsburg could not buy a stop on third down. On third and four at the Pattonsburg 35, Baker converted it for a first down to the 30. Then, on third and 10 at the 30, Baker turned a spread draw into a huge gain, picking up 25 yards to the five. He then bounced outside for the remaining five yards and Clayton Linville was all alone for the extra point pass to make it 62-56 with 10:05 left in the game.
The Panthers took copious amounts of time off the clock, taking nearly five minutes off as they marched down the field. Willhite converted a third and one at the 36 for a first down, and then Pattonsburg overcame a false start as Dakota Eaton caught one for 10 and Cowley’s catch and run took it 20 yards down to the 17. Carter Crone caught one for 9 after getting a block from Dakota Eaton, Cowley caught one for two to the six, and Willhite got in on three tries with 5:23 left to make it 68-56.
North Andrew came marching down the field as both Ecker and Baker carried the load from the Cardinal 38 to the Panther 18. Finally, Baker aired it out to McKinley Lillard, who had Eaton draped all over him, but he came up with it with 2:28 left to make it 68-62. Kason Mathes pounced on a loose carom to deny the extra point try.
The Cardinals tried an onsides kick to get a chance to tie or win it, but the hands team was on and Willhite fell on it at the 33. He got a block from Clark Adler and took it 20 to the 27. A holding penalty set them back to the 39, and North Andrew very nearly got the ball back. Willhite picked up 11 on his next play as North Andrew was using timeouts, and 10 on the next. But he was still one yard short of a first down. Carter Crone tried a crack with 1:15 left, but it fooled nobody and Pattonsburg was faced with fourth and two at the 19. But then Pattonsburg found Brett Emig isolated and Willhite threw him a strike down to the 8 as Emig got his second clutch catch of the night, and Pattonsburg was able to run out the clock.
