Saturday, October 12, 2019

Tigers Fall to Panther Blitz 82-50; Look to Regroup

Worth County fell to the Pattonsburg blitz 82-50 and must regroup before their North Andrew game Friday. The Panthers outhit and outplayed the Tigers throughout the game and did nothing to hurt their status as top-ranked team in the area. They face another stiff test Friday as they face a solid North Shelby squad that has beaten North Andrew.

Pattonsburg marked their senior night before Friday’s game. Honored before the game were Steven Willhite, Patrick Cowley, Dakota Eaton, Kaden Koch, Eldon Wise, Kason Mathes, Clark Adler, and Carter Crone. Worth County made some good plays against the green shirts, but the Panthers’ experience showed as they have eight seniors to only two for Worth County.

The game could not have started better for Worth County as Patrick Cowley returned the opening kickoff to the 40, only for Steven Willhite to throw a strike to Aydan Gladstone trying to air it out. But then Pattonsburg forced a three and out and got the ball back.

From there on out, Worth County had trouble getting off the field against the Panthers. Time and time, they had good pressure on Pattonsburg, putting as good pressure on them as anyone, only for Willhite to uncork one. And time and time again, they were draped all over Patrick Cowley, Dakota Eaton, Kaden Koch, and Brett Emig, only for each one of them to make catches.

Worth County snuffed out a shovel pass on Pattonsburg’s second drive, only for Dakota Eaton to catch one for 11 to the 31. A short pass on fourth and two to Cowley converted a fourth down.

Willhite and the Panthers were faced with third and 11 at the 33, only for Cowley to catch one over the middle with a defender draped all over him and take it all the way down to the 10. Willhite picked up five on the next carry, only for Jaxon Anderson to get pressure on Willhite and force him to throw it away for third and goal. But Willhite threw a strike to Emig on the next play with 6:41 left to put Pattonsburg on the board. Willhite ran in the extra points to make it 8-0.

The Tigers got Jaxon Anderson isolated for a short pass for a first down to the 29. Aydan Gladstone and Alex Rinehart took turns carrying the ball down to the Panther 12, when Aydan Gladstone scrambled for a touchdown with 2:34 left. Gladstone ran in the extra points to make it tied at 8-8.

Pattonsburg got the score right back when Brett Emig, back from an ankle injury, wrested a ball from Reed McIntyre and took it to the house from 40 yards out with 2:25 left to make it 14-8. Andrew Alarcon broke up the extra point pass. But then the ensuing onsides kick for Pattonsburg touched a black shirt and was pounced on by Dakota Eaton. Normally, the ball must travel 10 yards on a kickoff, but when it touches a member of the receiving team, that is not the case. A holding penalty put Pattonsburg back on their own 29, but it didn’t matter as Willhite aired it out to Brett Emig, with Andrew Alarcon draped all over him, to make it two possessions at 20-8. Andrew Alarcon hurt his knee on the play and was done for the night. Justin Dye dropped Willhite to deny the extra points.

Worth County threatened on its next series as Alex Rinehart weaved his way through traffic to the Panther 20, but a false start and a one yard loss gave the Tigers third and 16 at the 26. A double pass, with Alex Rinehart throwing, fooled nobody and Dakota Eaton, on a safety blitz, got the sack. Then, Patrick Cowley got a pick and ran it back to the Tiger 37, and a late hit moved it to the 22.

Reed McIntyre and Alex Rinehart broke up passes and Jackson Runde was getting good pressure on Willhite as the Tiger defense stiffened. Cowley caught a short pass to set up fourth and five at the 17. But once again the Tigers could not get off the field, as Cowley caught a short pass and ran through the black shirts like they weren’t even there and scored with 10:42 left in the second quarter. Runde pressured Willhite into an incompletion on the extra point try.

Austin Welch nearly duplicated the feat of Justin Dye a few games ago when he ran back the ensuing kickoff back to the Panther 5. That set up Alex Rinehart’s burst through a big hole for a score with 10:34 left in the second to make it 26-14. He ran smack into Clark Adler on the extra point try.
A defensive holding penalty put the Panthers in business at their own 39, and then Willhite threw a 36 yard strike to Cowley with 9:31 left in the second when he wrested it from Reed McIntyre, who was all over him. Cowley’s extra point pass made it 34-14.

Welch returned another onsides kick to the Pattonsburg 34, but then Dakota Eaton got his second sack of the game to put the Tigers in a hole. On fourth and 14 at the 38, Aydan Gladstone scrambled out of trouble to the 17, and then Alex Rinehart got a block from Jaxon Anderson to cut Worth County’s deficit to 34-20.

Willhite and the Panthers answered right back as he scrambled for four yards to the Tiger 37 and a pass to Patrick Cowley covered 15 to the 22. Willhite then aired it out to Eaton for a score with 6:34 left. Kaden Koch was stopped short by Jackson Runde on the extra point try, and Pattonsburg led 40-20.

On their first play from scrimmage, Worth County fumbled it and Login Goll recovered for the Panthers. An Intentional Grounding penalty put the ball third and 11 at the 40, but then Emig caught a 20 yard pass to keep the drive alive. A paid of bubble screens to Eaton put the ball on the 3, and the Cowley caught a short pass for a score to make it 46-20 with 4:18 left.

For the second straight possession, Worth County fumbled it on their first play, and Pattonsburg got as far as the Tiger 13 right before half. But, aided by a sack from Jaxon Anderson, Worth County got a rare stop on defense to keep their deficit at 26.

Worth County had a chance to build on their momentum and make a game of it. A deep pick play sprung Jaxon Anderson loose for 42 yards and a score with 11:51 left in the third. Kason Mathes dropped Alex Rinehart to keep it at 46-26. Pattonsburg got it right back when Willhite aired one out to Emig for 26 to the Tiger 28. On the next play, Worth County bit hard on a fake screen and Willhite aired it out to Kaden Koch for 28 for a score with 11:19 left. Cowley caught a shovel pass for the extra points to make it 54-26.

Worth County got it right back when Pattonsburg, for once, kicked deep but Jaxon Anderson, who normally played up, read the play, picked it up at the three, and took it to the house to make it 54-32 with 11:07 left. But once again, Pattonsburg answered as Jaxon Anderson put Willhite under a heavy rush, but he aired it out to Kaden Koch for a 53 yard score with 10:54 left. The scoring was not over as Worth County got the ball back at the 40. Alex Rinehart took it five, and then Aydan Gladstone threw a perfect play action pass to Reed McIntyre for 30 to the five, and then Alex Rinehart took it to the house from there with 9:56 left. Patrick Cowley broke up the extra point pass to keep it at 62-38.

Worth County had a chance to get a stop and get the ball back to make it two possessions. But Pattonsburg overcame a block in the back with a 37 yard pass to Cowley to the 23. Then, Worth County made a stand as one pass was incomplete, Alex Rinehart had a pass breakup on the next, and then Justin Dye and Austin Welch forced a quarterback hurry and incompletion. On fourth and ten at the Tiger 23, Jaxon Anderson flushed Willhite out of the pocket, only for him to air it out to Patrick Cowley. The pass was a little too far, but Cowley made a leaping grab for the score with 8:55 left to make it 68-38. Chase Atkins hurried Willhite into an incompletion to deny the extra points.

Pattonsburg got the ball right back as a halfback pass fooled nobody and Dakota Eaton picked off Alex Rinehart at the Panther 15. The Panthers started getting chunk plays and moving down the field with their short passing game. A sack by Justin Dye forced fourth and six at the 32, but then Steven Willhite aired it out to Dakota Eaton with Reed McIntyre draped all over him for 30, and Cowley went in motion and caught a pass for the remaining two yards with 5:43 left. Cowley caught the extra points to make it 76-38.

A pass interference gave Worth County life at the Panther 31, and then Reed McIntyre’s 14 yard catch and run rescued a fourth and nine. Four straight carries by Alex Rinehart put Worth County into the end zone as they cut their deficit to 76-44 with 1:32 left. But then Pattonsburg answered right back as Patrick Cowley stiffarmed his way for a 56 yard strike to make it 82-44 with 1:20 left, and what would have been Jaxon Anderson’s second kickoff return from 70 yards out was wiped out by a holding penalty.

The junior varsity squads took over after that, and Dylan McIntyre’s 20 yard run with 2:05 left in the game was the only score for either team.

The game was moved to Graceland due to continuing wet field conditions.



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