In a game even more shocking than the first time, Pattonsburg put together a solid defensive performance to go with its always dangerous passing game and pitched its first shutout in five years, 50-0 over Albany on the same field as the first time. Pattonsburg will now play Worth County Friday at Worth County starting at 7 pm.
The night saw a slew of lower seeds getting wins. King City
shut down Stanberry 20-12 for only their third win of the year, ending Stanberry’s
season. Stanberry had won handily against them earlier in the year. DeKalb got
their first win of the season, 44-40 over Stewartsville/Osborn. Mound City was
off to a bad start, with lopsided losses to Stanberry and Worth County in their first two games;
however, after that, they started putting up points on the board even against
good teams and threw a scare into South Holt. They beat Rock Port 66-54.
For whatever reason, despite it not working the last time
they played Pattonsburg, some folks took to social media to talk more trash
about the Panthers. Once again, it got back to Pattonsburg’s players and fans
and once again, karma struck the Warriors hard. Albany had every reason to
expect a different outcome Friday; they had Kyle Emerson back, which meant
better pass coverage for the Warriors and a deep threat for the Warriors on
offense. Mesh him in with newfound runningback Quentin Hurkman and the
reliable freshman back Elliot Mercer along with their huge line, and the Warriors
were supposed to prevail.
But Pattonsburg had a secret weapon in Parker Virtue. Injured
for much of the season, the Panthers got him back for the North Andrew game,
and he had an immediate impact, getting eight tackles against the Cardinals as
Pattonsburg was able to shut down their running game and get the halftime win.
With him and Jace Estrada clogging up the middle, Pattonsburg was able to take
away the running lanes that Albany had in the first game against the Panthers
that allowed the Warriors to stay in the game for most of the night.
On top of that, the tackling was much better as everyone was
wrapping up and gang tackling the Warriors. And Wyatt Maize played lockdown
defense all night on Kyle Emerson, only allowing him a few catches. The result was
the Panthers’ first shutout since 2018, when they shut out Kansas City East
(KS) 66-0.
The defensive focus for the Warriors this time was for their
defensive backs to cover Pattonsburg’s receivers for six seconds, trying to
replicate the success that King City had against them earlier in the year. They
lined up Elliot Mercer to get a good edge rush against Gage Iddings, and tried to hold
the edge down on the other side. For the first three plays of Pattonsburg’s
first possession it worked as Iddings got tackled for a one yard gain and he
threw two incompletions. But then Gavin Humphrey, who burned the Warriors
several times in the first meeting, did so again, getting behind the Warrior
defense for 33 yards to the Warrior 27, and then Landon Preston made a diving
grab in the end zone. Landon made another diving grab to make it 8-0 with 10:25
left.
Albany caught a short pass to start the Warriors first
series, but then coughed up the ball. Jace Estrada came clear over from the
nose tackle slot, all 300 points of him, and pounced on the ball near the sideline.
That gave the Panthers the ball at their own 31. There was a heartstopping
moment on their first play from scrimmage when a ball caromed off a Panther
into the hands of Trevor Akins, who returned it to the Panther 18. But then he
was hit and fumbled it right back to the Panthers. A pair of short passes moved
the Panthers to the 32, and a pass interference put the ball on the Warrior 38.
The Warrior pass rush finally got through to Iddings, with Elliot Mercer and
Seth Miller getting to him. But then Gage Iddings got the yardage back and then
some, taking it 23 yards down to the Warrior 19. On the next play, the ball
bounced out of the hands of a Panther, out of the hands of a Warrior, and into
the hands of Landon Preston with 7:38 left for a touchdown. Iddings, in the
grasp of a Warrior, somehow got it away to Preston for the extra points to make
it 16-0.
Albany started at the 40, but two runs by Elliot Mercer went
nowhere, Wyatt Maize broke up a 1 on 1 pass intended for Kyle Emerson, and a
short pass was not enough for a first down. But Albany, which didn’t stop
Pattonsburg at all the first time, except for a desperation pass at the end of
the first half, did so after Pattonsburg got a first down. Quentin Hurkman
picked up 11 to the Panther 34, and they overcame a bad snap as Trevor Akins
caught a 10 yard pass to the 20. But then Virtue made his presence felt,
dropping Hurkman for a loss to the 25. Hurkman picked up five to the 20, but
then Albany tried some trickery with a direct snap to Hurkman, only for him to
fumble the ball and Pattonsburg to get the ball back on downs.
On third and seven at the 32, Wyatt Maize had a clutch catch
to the Warrior 39 for a first down, and then Landon Preston caught a long pass
to the 18. With Elliot Mercer getting free on the edge rush and Iddings forced
to run down the left sideline, he somehow waltzed the tightrope into the end
zone for a score. Wyatt Maize caught the extra point pass to make it 24-0.
Albany went to their spread formation after getting it on
the Panther 38 and rescued a third and 10 when Emerson caught a pass for eight
and Mercer ran it for a first down to the 25. A late hit put the ball on the
nine. But then the Panthers made a stand as Wyatt Maize broke up a pass. Elliot
Mercer caught a short pass, but Wyatt Maize stopped him for a gain of one. Chase Cline was stopped for a one yard gain at the seven to set up fourth and goal.
With Cline under a heavy rush from two Panthers, he lateraled it to the 250
pound Seth Miller in a playground move. Even players at the NFL level have
trouble tackling someone weighing 250 pounds who has skill carrying the ball, as
anyone who remembers Christian Okoye knows. Miller showed some skill, shedding
tackle after tackle as he barreled to the end zone. But finally, he was ruled
down just short of the goal line, in a call that prompted plenty of chirping
from the Warrior sideline, and the Panthers got the ball back at their own 1.
It was the second time that the Panthers made a last-ditch tackle at the one to
hold on downs against the Warriors.
Landon Preston caught a pair of passes to get the ball to
the 14, but then a holding penalty brought the Panthers back to the 11 and
wiped out a big gain. Gage Iddings scrambled for nine to the 20, but then Seth
Miller flushed Iddings out and his pass was broken up. Kole Emerson broke up a
pass on fourth down to set up fourth and four. Since the Panthers don’t punt, a
hold by the Warriors would have given them a short field, but Landon Preston
caught a short pass for six yards to the 26 to give the Panthers a first down.
Two incomplete passes set up a third and ten. Iddings threw a short pass to
Gavin Humphrey, who ran down the left sideline and got the first down. He then
juked Kyle Emerson and broke free, taking it to the house with 6:09 left to
make it 30-0.
After getting the ball on the Panther 37, the Warriors
finally seemed to get the running game going as Quentin Hurkman picked up seven
to the 30, and an offsides penalty put it on the 25. Hurkman picked up four
more to the 21, but then Albany tried to air it out to Kyle Emerson. Wyatt
Maize was there for the pass breakup to set up third down. Hurkman got dropped
by Collin Mason for two and then Landon Preston made a one on one tackle to
stop him short of the first down on the 17.
Gage Iddings picked up four, and a short catch and run to
Landon Preston picked up five more to the 26 after a block from Jace Estrada.
Gage Iddings scrambled to the Warrior 20, but it was called back to the 30 by a
holding penalty. But Landon Preston caught a 14 yard pass to the 16, and then
Gavin Humphrey made a diving grab for a score with 1:35 left to make it 36-0.
Albany tried to get some momentum going into the half and
aired it out. But then Camden Griffith wrestled it away from the Warrior
receiver and came away with it at the 7 to kill the drive. Pattonsburg nearly
scored again before the half, getting a couple of long passes to Landon Preston
down to the Warrior 10. But a pair of holding penalties killed the drive.
Albany started off at the Pattonsburg 29 following a late
hit penalty on the onsides kick, but it didn’t matter as the first carry by
Hurkman ran into Estrada and Humphrey. Another carry by Hurkman got nowhere, and
then he picked up six to the 23. But then Parker Virtue met him at the 20, one
yard short of the first down and the Panthers got the ball back.
Pattonsburg got a couple of first downs, only for Kole Emerson
to pick off Iddings at the Warrior 31. But after Elliot Mercer picked up three
to the 34, Albany tried to air it out deep, but threw it right into double
coverage as Gage Iddings came to help out and made a diving pick at the Panther
13. Pattonsburg was faced with third and nine, but then Iddings scrambled for a
first down to the 25. A short pass lost two, and then an incomplete pass set up
third and 12. But then Landon Preston made a clutch catch at the Warrior 33 for
a first down. An offsides penalty put it on the 28, but a long pass to Landon
Preston was wiped out by mutual facemask penalties, and the down was replayed.
It didn’t matter as Preston beat Kyle Emerson for a score with 31 seconds left
to make it 42-0.
A late hit by the Panthers gave Albany a first down on the Panther
38, only for a holding penalty to put Albany behind the sticks on the next
play. A quick pitch to Akins got the
penalty yardage back on the next play, only for Hurkman to meet Iddings and
Estrada on the next play. Gavin Humphrey then tackled him on the next play, and
Wyatt Maize broke up a pass to give Pattonsburg the ball back on downs at the
39.
With the Panthers up by more than 35 for the whole second
half, the running clock was on for the entire half, allowing them to drain the
clock even on incomplete passes. They got
a first down to the Warrior 27 on back to back offsides penalties, but they
were put behind the sticks with a false start to the 32. On third and 14, with Jace
Estrada cramped up and having to come out for a play, Pattonsburg put in Parker
Virtue, and ran a perfect guard eligible play to him for 28 yards down to the
eight. Two plays later, Gavin Humphrey took a shovel pass to the house and
Landon Preston caught the extra points with 1:28 left. At that point, the
officials had seen enough and ordered the clock to run out.
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