Steven Willhite ended his career with over 5,000 passing yards for the year. He threw for 93 touchdowns, a single season record for the country. Both teams laid it all on the line in Saturday’s game, with a lot of hard hits, opportunistic plays, and forced fumbles.
Southwest kicked off to Pattonsburg, who drove down to the Wildcat 29 to start the game. But three incompletions and a pass to Brett Emig that only went two yards forced the Panthers to give up the ball on downs. On the first play from scrimmage, Mack Anderson took it to the house from 51 yards out with 10:36 left to make it 6-0.
The Wildcats sprung Anderson loose with sweeps to the right and left, with the line coached to hold their blocks; Anderson, who is nearing the 3,000 yard mark in rushing this year, also has thrown for over 1,500 yards; his arm was good enough to force Pattonsburg to respect the run. At 6’6”, Anderson was hard to bring down one on one; even good tacklers like Carter Crone and Patrick Cowley would have him wrapped up perfectly, only for him to muscle his way out of the tackle time and time again.
Pattonsburg could do nothing on their next series and gave up the ball on downs at their own 39. This had been a typical pattern this year for the Panthers, start off slowly, only to get better as the game progressed. They nearly stopped Southwest on their next series, only for Mack Anderson to air it out on fourth and 14 to Chase Neptune for 41 yards down to the two. Two plays later, Anderson bulldozed his way into the end zone from one yard out despite Carter Crone having him wrapped up perfectly and Anderson threw it to Patrick Warren to make it 14-0 with 6:45 left in the first quarter.
The Panthers finally got untracked as Brett Emig had a 13 yard catch and run, while Patrick Cowley caught one for 15 to the Southwest 30. But then a false start killed the drive, and Anderson once again took it to the house, this time from 44 yards out with 4:47 left.
Willhite used his legs to finally soften up the Southwest defense as he ripped off four carries for 24 yards to the 22 before Cowley caught a screen to the 9, and Wilhite took it the remaining nine yards with 2:34 left. Dakota Eaton caught a pass for the extra points to make it 20-8. Southwest’s game plan was simple – allow the screens and running plays, and don’t let Pattonsburg beat them deep.
All hell threatened to break loose on the next two series. First, on third and 20 from the 25, Anderson broke free again with 1:42 left and ran in the extra points to make it 28-8. Then, Southwest, which has an onsides kicking game similar to Pattonsburg, got one at the 40 and Patrick Warren caught a pass to the 25. Anderson took it for 13 to the 12, and a hands to the face penalty put it on the three. Anderson took it from there with 15 seconds left and Neptune ran in the extra points to make it 36-8.
The Panthers finally broke the run when Willhite took it 5 yards to the Southwest 36 and then Cowley, who was being covered by Anderson on deep routes all day, finally found daylight on a screen and took it to the house with 11:49 left in the second quarter. Cowley ran in the extra points to make it 36-16.
Pattonsburg made some adjustments and switched from a three man front to a four man front and put Steven Willhite in at defense to provide some beef against Anderson. A block in the back penalty wiped out a Southwest touchdown run, and Kaden Koch got a sack to force fourth and 15. Finally, Brett Emig got a pick and ran it all the way back to the Southwest 33. Cowley caught one pass for one and then a screen for 26 down to the 6, and then caught a six yard pass for a score with 8:55 left. He ran in the extra points to make it 36-24.
With Southwest faced with third and 10 on their next series, Anderson took to the air and hit Chase Neptune with an 11 yard strike to the Panther 27 and a 27 yard scoring strike out of play action to score again with 7:22 left. Neptune caught the extra point pass to make it 44-24.
Neither team could score for the remaining time in the half, as Dakota Eaton recovered a fumble to kill a drive at the Panther 26, but Willhite was picked off by Chase Neptune at the Southwest 5. Southwest went into the locker with a 44-24 lead.
Southwest came out ready to put the game away as Anderson ripped off a 41 yarder for a score with 11:49 left on their first play from scrimmage and Balazs Sturgeon caught the extra point pass to make it 52-24. But then Cowley beat Anderson down the field and Pattonsburg struck back with a 56 yard score with 11:31 left in the third. Brett Emig caught the extra point pass to make it 52-32.
Carter Crone got a sack to force fourth and nine at the Panther 39, but then nobody covered Patrick Warren, who took a pass all the way down to the 5. But then Anderson was stopped for no gain by Crone. An offsides put it on the three, but then Dakota Eaton got his second fumble recovery of the game, getting it in the end zone for a touchback. Pattonsburg got a long drive going, with the Panthers taking what the defense was giving them and Cowley catching five passes down the field. Finally, Brett Emig caught one for 24 down to the seven and Cowley ran it in for the score with 4:12 left to make it 52-38.
Pattonsburg appeared to have another stop, but a late hit set up a manageable fourth and four on the Panther 35 instead of a fourth and 19 at the Southwest 30. Anderson ripped off 13 to the 22 and then hit Neptune for a pass of 22 for a score with 1:54 left. Neptune was all alone for the extra points to make it 60-38.
Cowley caught a short pass for three to the 38 on the next drive, only to come out with cramps for the next few plays. It didn’t matter as Willhite ripped off gains of 10 and 29 down to the Southwest three, where he scored with 1:13 left to make it 60-44.
Pattonsburg finally made it one possession after Eaton forced his third turnover, picking off Anderson and returning it to the Panther 38 on the next series. Eaton caught a pass of 18 and Emig got passes of 9 and 7 before Willhite got a block from Clark Adler and ran it in from 8 yards out with 10:52 left. Cowley came back and ran in the extra points to make it 60-52.
Anderson was finally stopped on fourth and two at the Panther 31 as Willhite and Eaton gang tackled him for one, but Pattonsburg fumbled it right back at the Southwest 36. Anderson ripped off 19 yards to the 25, but then Neptune fumbled it after a short pass and Brett Emig recovered on the 16.
With a chance to tie, Pattonsburg marched down the field as Emig caught a pass for 23 and Eaton caught one for 10 to the 31. A short pass to Emig rescued a fourth and four, getting six yards to the 19. But then a pair of drops killed the drive, and Southwest marched right back down the field. On third and eight at the Pattonsburg 33, Anderson ripped off 33 yards, bursting outside to make it 66-52 with 2:32 left.
Pattonsburg got the ball back at their own 38, and on their second play from scrimmage, aired it out to Patrick Cowley for 42 yards with 2:18 left. Cowley took the direct snap for the extra point try, and on his final effort, fell into the end zone to make it 66-60.
Southwest got the ball with 2:18 left, and Cowley dropped Anderson for a loss of one to the Southwest 39. But then Anderson broke free and took it to the house for a seemingly secure 74-60 lead after the extra points, in which Neptune started right on a sweep play but reversed his field and took it in for the extra points.
All the Wildcats had to do was not give up any big plays; they kicked it deep into the end zone, hoping to make Pattonsburg work it down the field and kill the final two minutes. But after Eaton took a short pass for five to the 20, Brett Emig caught one over the middle and outran everyone 60 yards to the house with 1:31 left. One of Southwest’s linemen tipped Willhite’s extra point pass at the line of scrimmage, but Patrick Cowley still came down with it to make it 74-68.
The Panthers and Wildcats knew each others’ plays well, having played several times over the years, but all of a sudden, Kaden Koch covered an onsides kick at the 40 and Pattonsburg had a chance to tie or win. Cowley caught a pass for six and Emig caught one for seven to the 27. Willhite ran for seven more to the 20 with 52 seconds. Pattonsburg elected to take a shot into the end zone, and Cowley appeared to have a step on his man. But Ethan Hoerr came off his man and jumped the route, getting a pick for Southwest, who was able to run out the clock for the win.
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