Pattonsburg's record may be similar to last year, but their performance is night and day compared to last year. Last year, they were simply trying to keep the team together after a coaching change. But this year, they are very respectable despite only having won two games this year. It started on the defensive end, and it paid off in Friday's 64-24 win over Rich Hill. Friday's win was the fewest points allowed for Pattonsburg since the 2020-2021 season, when they held Schuyler County to 8 points.
Last year, Gage Iddings figured heavily into their plans defensively, as he was getting over 20 tackles a game. But last year, after he blew his knee out, that was when the bottom dropped out for the Panthers. While they were still able to beat Rich Hill and St. Joseph Christian and show flashes of their old form, they were no match against the GRC teams which were like sharks smelling blood in the water. With Iddings back this year, the Panthers looked like a completely different team. He took over the reigns at quarterback, where he showed the ability to jump out of the pocket, time his deep routes perfectly when Rich Hill tried press coverage, change the play at the line of scrimmage when necessary, and throw bullet passes in traffic when necessary. When Rich Hill tried to send the house at him, Pattonsburg had two different screen passes they used to get out of trouble.
Defensively, Iddings is just as key to the Panthers. He was flying around the field Friday night, showing the form that got him 20+ tackles a game last year, shadowing the Rich Hill quarterback, Daniel Bridgewater, and dropping him just when it looked like he would find daylight several times.
Brody Langfitt is another skill player who has come a long ways this year. Last year, he showed flashes of potential when he ran for 275 yards against Christian in Pattonsburg's 62-32 win and picked up on that this year. He is a human joystick and can cut on a dime when defenses close in on him. In his freshman year, he stepped up and contributed when one of Pattonsburg's main receivers went down, and has been getting better ever since. He can jump in at quarterback when needed.
The receiving corps of Kaden Locker, Sam Coin, and Daltyn Sperry has only gotten better after putting in the time. All of them have their timing down with Iddings and all of them are threats to go deep.
The goal for the Panthers will be to make a statement in the last three games of the year against Worth County, Christian, and Albany. Earlier in the year, they struggled with injuries; Tyson Gibson figured to be a big part of their plans for this year on both sides of the ball, but he went down with a broken collarbone. He says his goal is to make it back for basketball. Another potential piece of the puzzle, Owan Roberson, went down as well. But now that they are finally starting to get healthy and the team is starting to adjust to the physicality of the GRC, they are finally starting to show flashes of potential. Against Stanberry, they dug themselves in a hole, but nearly got out of it, cutting it to within 36-26 before Stanberry pulled away in the second half.
Against Rich Hill, Pattonsburg got the ball on their own 34. An offsides penalty gave them a first down to the 35. They were backed up to the 40 by a holding penalty, only for Gage Iddings to air it out to Sam Coin for the first score of the game, taking advantage of press coverage. Iddings ran in the extra points to make it 8-0.
But then Bridger Collins ran back the ensuing kickoff to the Panther 27. Next time, nobody wrapped up on Bridgewater and he scampered 10 yards down to the 17. At that point, it looked like the last team with the ball or the team that did the best job of converting its extra points would win. But then something new happened -- the Panthers made a stand. Bridgewater twice ran into Iddings who dropped him. Rich Hill tried jet sweeps or fakes off of it, and they tried Zane Becker on the jet sweep. That ran into Landon Preston, who has shown himself to be one of the bigger hitters on the Panther team this year. An incomplete pass gave Pattonsburg the ball on downs at the 15.
Pattonsburg moved it on the ground as Brody Langfitt found some daylight. A middle screen to Sam Coin got the Panthers in Rich Hill territory at the 26, and then Brody Langfitt tried a sweep down the right side. But like a human joystick, he suddenly veered across the field down the left side and took it to the house with 7:11 left in the first quarter to make it 14-0.
Rich Hill got a first down on its next drive behind Bridgewater, but a holding penalty and a sack by Daltyn Sperry derailed the drive and they turned the ball over on downs at their own 35. Gage Iddings scrambled to the 23. A block in the back moved it back to the 25, but then Iddings threw a bullet pass to Kaden Locker with 3:06 left. Then, Iddings rolled out to his right and threw a hook shot pass over his defender to Brody Langfitt in the end zone for the extra points to make it 22-0.
Rich Hill tried to open up the game and completed a 23 yard pass from Bridgewater to Daylen Welton down to the 33. Bridgewater scrambled to the 4, but once again, the Panthers made a goal line stand. Bridgewater only got two yards before he met Gage Iddings. Iddings dropped him once again at the five. Bridgewater got to the one, but then Daltyn Sperry kept him out of the end zone. on the final play, Bridgewater tried to get to the edge, but Landon Preston made a perfect one on one tackle on him at the 2 to keep him out and give Pattonsburg the ball back on downs.
A couple of carries by Iddings and then a couple of carries by Brody Langfitt got the Panthers out of the hole, with Langfitt weaving his way 16 yards to the 35. Finally, Iddings aired it out to Kaden Locker, and he took it to the house at the start of the second quarter from 45 yards out to make it 28-0.
Rich Hill threatened again, and again they were turned back. Shaun Palms was all alone and took one 18 yards to the Panther 30. The jet sweep found daylight as Zane Becker got 5 more. But then a bad snap derailed the drive. A scramble by Bridgewater set up fourth and four, but Kyler Preston jumped a route and ran it back to the 35. Gage Iddings picked up 12 to the 33, and then Brody Langfitt caught a short pass on the right side, and once again, like a human joystick, he dodged, weaved, and juked defenders all the way into the end zone from 33 yards out to make it 34-0.
Daltyn Sperry recovered an onsides kick, and it threatened to go from bad to worse, but then Rich Hill adjusted and got a stop. They lined their ends further outside to get a good edge rush; Bridger Collins began wreaking havoc in the backfield. Their energy and effort picked up during the next stretch. Brody Langfitt caught a bubble screen for nine, and another bubble screen to Sam Coin went for 14 to the 18. But then a sack derailed the drive and Langfitt's short pass could only net 13 yards to the 14, and Rich Hill took over on downs.
Pattonsburg forced a three and out and was marching down the field again. Iddings adjusted by faking the hand clap; the Rich Hill ends were timing the snap based on that. It drew them offsides twice on this series. A series of short passes got the Panthers down the field and set up a bullet pass to Daltyn Sperry for 21 yards down to the 8. A shovel pass to Sam Coin got to the 5, but then Rich Hill tightened up and held again. But Iddings dropped Bridgewater yet again, Alex Arnold broke through and got a sack, and an incomplete pass set up fourth and 11. Another bad snap derailed Rich Hill, and this time, Iddings threw a bullet pass to Landon Preston, who made a diving grab in the end zone with 36 seconds left in the half. Brody Langfitt got blocks from Preston and Iddings and got in on a power sweep to make it 42-0.
Bridgewater tried to get loose on a draw, but was tackled by Jace Estrada for a loss, and with the Panthers playing prevent, a draw to Shaun Palms could only get to the 35 as time expired.
The focus of the third quarter was to keep Rich Hill off the board, but on the kickoff, Zane Becker grabbed a squib kick, the green shirts overran him, and he took it to the house right off the bat. Bridgewater ran in the extra points to make it 42-8 to kill the running clock. A swarming Rich Hill defense was making things difficult; they were keeping everything in front, sending the house at Iddings, and closing the running lanes. Gage scrambled six yards to the 35, and Daltyn Sperry caught a shot pass to the 40. Rich Hill forced Iddings into an incompletion and nearly picked him off. Pattonsburg then set up a middle screen and Iddings' hurried throw was off the mark again. But then Sperry made a one handed grab of Iddings' throw and took it 12 yards to the 28 and a first down. That seemed to open the door again as Coin took a short pass and weaved his way down to the 17, then caught a short pass, got a block from Dillon Hartschen, and got to the 12. That set up a perfectly timed pass from Iddings to Locker, who got separation and scored with 9:19 left to reestablish the running clock. Brody Langfitt got a big wall of blockers in front of him and ran in the two points to make it 50-6.
Rich Hill apparently ran back the ensuing kickoff for a score, but a block in the back wiped it out and it was called back to the 25. They had third and three on the 32, but one bad snap pinned them on the 18, and on fourth and long, another bad snap gave Pattonsburg the short field at the five. They only needed one play to get in as Brody Langfitt caught a middle screen and took it to the house. Brody took a power sweep to the left side of the field and laid out a defender to get in the end zone for the extra points to make it 58-6. It was the kind of hitting that had been lacking last year.
This time, Bridgewater tried to scramble and Landon Preston delivered a big hit on him that knocked him out for the remainder of the series. Bridger Collins replaced him, but Jace Estrada dropped him for no gain, and then Gage Iddings stopped him for three, forcing Rich Hill to punt. It was a good kick that pinned Pattonsburg at their own two, but it didn't matter as Brody Langfitt's catch and run got a first down to the 14. Kaden Locker caught passes of 22 and 16, and a late hit put the ball on the 14. Brody Langfitt caught a short pass for 8 more, and then Gavin Humphrey caught a score with 7:18 left to make it 64-8 before Rich Hill got two late scores to account for the final score.
Gage Iddings had 8 rushes for 58 yards. Brody Langfitt had 7 carries for 58 yards. Landon Preston had 1 carry for 7 yards. Gage Iddings had 32 attempts and 28 completions for 358 yards. Sam Coin had 10 catches for 106 yards, Kaden Locker had 5 catches for 120 yards, Brody Langfitt 7 catches for 75 yards, Landon Preston 1 catch for 5 yards, and Gavin Humphrey 1 catch for 7 yards. Pattonsburg had 48 plays for 481 yards.
For Rich Hill, Daniel Bridgewater had 21 carries for 102 yards. Zane Becker had 4 carries for 10 yards, Shaun Palms 2 carries for 22 yards, and Bridger Collins 2 carries for 3 yards. Bridgewater had 8 attempts and 4 completions for 46 yards. Daylen Welton had 1 catch for 23 yards, Shaun Palms 2 catches for 22 yards, and Bridger Collins 1 catch for 1 yard. Rich Hill had 37 plays for 183 yards.
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