Wyatt Maize Returns Kickoff for Score to Spark Princeton to Easy Win

Wyatt Maize ran back the opening kickoff 70 yards for a score, and Princeton had little trouble putting away Pattonsburg 58-0 Friday for their Homecoming game. Hector Garcia kicked the extra point, and the rest of the game belonged to Princeton.

A long year for Pattonsburg just got even longer during Friday night's battle. Princeton's Gavin Tatum caught one of the Panther backs in the end zone for a safety early in the game, and the Pattonsburg player had to be taken off on a stretcher. Another Panther player was taken off the field with an injury later in the game, and they were already shorthanded, with two players dressed in street clothes.

They showed little resemblance to the Panther teams of the past, which would light up the scoreboard like an arcade game win or lose, and live and die by the passing game. They attempted 5 passes and 29 runs in Friday's game, reversing stats from the last several years.

With Wyatt Maize and Gavin Tatum getting straight tackles for losses from the 21 to the 12, Pattonsburg lined up to punt. They tried a fake punt, but it was snuffed out, and Ryker Fortner tackled Michael Warner at the 20 to give Princeton a short field to work with. A few plays later, Gage Fortner bobbled a snap but took a busted play to the house with 8:36 left in the first to make it 14-0 after Garcia's extra point. With 8:27 left, the safety in question followed to make it 16-0.

After a lengthy delay, Pattonsburg tried a squib kick, but it was covered by Princeton at the Panther 34, and they had another short field to work with. Wyatt Maize burst up the middle 24 yards to the 10. A block in the back penalty and an incompletion made it second and goal at the 20, but Kash Holt's pass in the middle of the field put it at the 8, and Mitchell Walker took a screen pass to the house with 7:39 left in the first to make it 23-0 after Garcia's extra point.

Andrew Fordyce, who lived rent-free in the Pattonsburg backfield all night, forced a quarterback hurry on the next series and Ryker Fortner picked off Warner and took it back to the Pattonsburg one. The play was called back to the Pattonsburg 37 due to a block in the back, but it didn't matter as Gage Fortner aired it out to Judd Henke for six. Hector Garcia added the extra point to make it 30-0 with 6:40 left in the first.

Pattonsburg got their most promising drive going as Michael Warner scrambled for 14 yards for a first down, and Porter Simmons caught a short pass for seven yards to Princeton’s 35. But one of many false start penalties for Pattonsburg derailed the drive, and Dynten Hale, who had never played football and who was out for the first time this year, recorded a sack. A late hit gave Pattonsburg new life at the Princeton 31, but a diving pick by Ryker Fortner killed the drive. Two plays later, Mitchell Walker took a sweep down the left side and cut back down the right side and into the clear for a score with 2:49 left in the first to make it 37-0 after Garcia's kick.

To show the kind of year Pattonsburg has been having, just as it looked like they were finally turning the corner on the next drive, getting some good runs with Porter Simmons to the 40, their biggest lineman, Remington White, got injured at the end of the quarter. Ryker Fortner and Reed Mitchell combined to blow up a fourth and one, and Princeton had the ball at Pattonsburg’s 35.

Mitchell Walker spun his way to the Panther five, but Pattonsburg made a stand as Evan Mason and Kaos Sweiger blew up a running play back to the nine. Gage Fortner made a rare miscue as his knee hit the ground as he was handling a snap. But he atoned for it by throwing a pass to Kash Holt, and Hector Garcia added the extra point to make it 44-0 with 10:45 left in the second.

Princeton began subbing freely to start the second, but they still pulled away. After they forced a three and out, Reed Michell fielded a short kick in Pattonsburg territory. He had one of the hardest hits all night, shoving his own man out of the way as he took it to the house. Hector Garcia added the extra point to make it 51-0.

They got their final score late in the first half when Michael Parsons pounced on a muffed punt at Pattonsburg’s 11. Two plays later, Reed Mitchell got a block from Scotty Briggs and took it to the house to make it 58-0 after Garcia's extra point kick.

North Harrison Joins Princeton Football Cooperative

North Harrison will join the Princeton football cooperative effective immediately following a school board vote Wednesday. Previously, Winston had applied to join the Pattonsburg football cooperative in January. The matter was tabled until last month, when Pattonsburg ousted Gilman City from the cooperative in favor of Winston. North Harrison subsequently followed Gilman City out the door with Wednesday's vote. 

The Princeton school board had already extended an invitation to North Harrison at its meeting this month. The Grand River Conference West approved the moves. Princeton wasted no time in hitting the ground running with its new partner; all the coaches as well as a few players came to North Harrison to visit their new team members.

Reasons cited by people from North Harrison included lack of stability, less expense, lack of communication, better facilities at Princeton, a better field, and more opportunities for young people interested in playing football. Princeton already has a youth football program in place and North Harrison kids can play on the team. Several years ago, a small group of people held a series of community betterment meetings in Eagleville, and one of the main concerns was a lack of opportunities for elementary-level kids to play football. Princeton having a youth football program fills a big hole. Current North Harrison players were on board with the move.

Driving distance from Eagleville to Princeton will be similar to Pattonsburg. The only expense that North Harrison will incur will involve transporting players to practices and games. They do not have to supply coaches, although it was encouraged by Princeton.

Gena Gilpatrick and Linda Woods reported on a trip they and several other teachers took to the Lake of the Ozarks for professional development. They learned about ways to discipline students, creating a positive culture, ideas for keeping kids learning, and new ways of evaluating students. Recent research has focused a lot on the importance of play for kids. One recent study that came out found that kids spend 2 1/2 to 3 hours facing a screen. There were around 1,800 teachers at the conference.

Kara Smith reported on gaps in mental health care at North Harrison and what the school was doing to fill them. They have someone come from Harrison County Community Hospital who sees six kids once a week for just over three hours. They have someone else who comes from North Central Mental Health who comes to the school for 30 minutes a week and sees 2-3 students. They have a youth behavior liaison who the school can contact in a mental health emergency, but they are 1 1/2 hours away. 

Burrell Youth Services reached out offering to help; they serve the eastern half of the state and are looking to expand to Northwest Missouri. The school jumped at the offer, and they send a person once a week for half a day. They also offer professional development training. 80% of kids who receive a mental health intervention get it at school. 95% of such cases involve home issues. The gap that the school is looking to fill involves students who are not eligible for Medicaid. 

The school held a Literacy Night in which 63% of elementary students and their families participated.

40 elementary students went to the recent Willford STEM event in Bethany. 

Board member Eric Richardson said he had heard a lot of positive comments regarding the Pops & Pie Concert, including the choir performance. 

The board authorized bids for repairing drainage issues near the cafeteria as well as doing the north elementary doors and the sidewalk. The school is in the process of putting together capital improvement projects. Another need that was brought up was a door which has the potential to blow open during a tornado and another which is difficult to lock and is easy to open even when locked. 

The school voted to renew the health insurance policy with Missouri Educational Trust and add a second plan that involves a 100% school match. Rates will go up 4.6% next year. 

The next meeting date will be April 15th at 5:30 pm. 

Pattonsburg Ousts Gilman City From Football Cooperative; Winston Added

Winston will join Pattonsburg as a member of its football cooperative, both schools announced Tuesday, February 24th, effective for the next football season. This means that Gilman City will not be a member of the football cooperative next year. North Harrison will remain a member of the Pattonsburg football cooperative. Under MSHSAA rules, only three schools can form a football cooperative. This move will also apply to junior high football.

Winston was previously in a football cooperative with Maysville. Maysville will compete on its own in 11-Man football for the 2026-27 season. 

In addition, effective for the upcoming 2025-26 season, Pattonsburg and Winston will form a baseball cooperative. The two schools will continue their junior high and high school softball cooperative, which has been in place for several years. Gilman City will compete separately in baseball, and Athletic Director and coach Tony Gregg has been working the phones the last two weeks seeking opponents. As of Friday evening, there were ten regular season games listed for the Hawks with another one in the process of being finalized. He said there were 16 students from both Gilman City and North Daviess who expressed interest.

Pattonsburg and Winston are currently considering the potential expansion of their cooperative to include band instruction, marching band, and pep band. A new committee will be formed with representatives from both the Pattonsburg and Winston cooperatives to evaluate their current cooperatives and explore future opportunities. 

Winston Proposes Joining Pattonsburg Football Cooperative

Winston proposed joining the Pattonsburg football cooperative and sent a presentation to Pattonsburg at the most recent Pattonsburg school board meeting, Northwest Mo Info reported. The Pattonsburg board tabled the idea until a future meeting. Currently, Pattonsburg is in a three-way football cooperative with North Harrison and Gilman City. MSHSAA rules limit the number of schools in a football cooperative to three.

If Winston were to join the Pattonsburg football cooperative and North Harrison were to leave, the Shamrocks could join the Worth County football cooperative; however, the combined enrollment of Worth County, North Harrison, and NEN is at 153 students according to the latest MSHSAA figures. That would force Worth County to compete in 11-man football, since the ceiling for eight-man schools under MSHSAA rules is 150 students. 

It would not be clear what North Harrison's options would be in such a scenario. Princeton already has an existing football cooperative agreement with Cainsville and Newtown-Harris. If North Harrison were to attempt to form a football cooperative with its nearby neighbors, Ridgeway and Cainsville, it would likely involve playing the numbers game. Cainsville has 22 students and Ridgeway 17 under MSHSAA figures. North Harrison has 47.

One possible scenario could be to petition MSHSAA to allow four schools to form a football cooperative. But if MSHSAA were to allow such an arrangement, that would mean a combined enrollment of 141 students among Pattonsburg, Gilman City, North Harrison, and Winston combined. If their combined enrollment were to go up over 150 combined students, it would force Pattonsburg to play 11-man football. 

Camden Griffith Receives Offer to Play for Simpson

On Friday, Camden Griffith of Gilman City received an offer to play football for Simpson College (IA). He was a standout quarterback and wide receiver for Pattonsburg during his football career.

In 2025-26, he caught 68 passes for 964 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Panthers, helping them to an 8-2 finish. In the 2023-24 season, Griffith had 80 catches for 1,201 yards and 18 touchdowns. As the starting quarterback during the 2024-25 season, he completed 191 of 348 passes for 2,811 yards and ran 140 times for another 617 yards.

 

All State Football Selections Released

 

Worth County

Cole Ruby — 1st Team Runningback

Ethan Lininger — 1st Team Defensive Line

Bo Collins — 1st Team Defensive End, Defensive Player of the Year

Lucas Frisch — 1st Team Linebacker

Brayden Stevens — 1st Team Defensive Back

Jon Adwell, Coach of the Year

Sawyer Thurman — 2nd Team Offensive Line

Jude Archer — 2nd Team Defensive Back

Hayden Sanders — 3rd Team Athlete

Pattonsburg

Camden Griffith — 1st Team Wide Receiver

Gavin Humphrey — 2nd Team Wide Receiver

 

Pattonsburg Digs Hole, Falls to King City 70-60

Pattonsburg dug itself into a hole Friday and couldn't dig itself out against King City and couldn't buy a stop, falling to the Wildkats 70-60. King City gashed them for almost 500 yards. Graham Medsker had 139 yards on the ground while Landon Carlson added 147. Carlson threw for another 196. They had 31 rushes for 286 yards, or 9.2 yards a carry. 

In both its losses, Pattonsburg struggled on special teams; they started off by giving up a kickoff return for a score as Ryder Sample took it to the house with 11:47 left in the first quarter. Landon Carlson added the extra points to put King City up 8-0.

Gage Fortner hit Wyatt Maize over the middle, and he took it to the house with 11:32 left in the first to make it 8-6. But then Carlson threw a strike to Sample with 11:20 left to make it 16-6. After King City made a goal line stand, Carlson took it 75 yards to the house to make it 24-6 with 6:54 left.

Pattonsburg finally rallied as a 50-yard strike from Fortner to Maize made it 24-14. They made a goal line stand, and then Fortner and Maize hooked up again to cut it to 24-22 with 11:26 left in the second quarter. Pattonsburg got another stop, only for Caiden Wainscott to pick off Fortner and Carlson to take it to the house with 9:39 left to make it 30-22. Pattonsburg struck right back as Fortner threw a pass to Gavin Humphrey to make it 30-28. But Pattonsburg could not convert the extra point try, and King City remained ahead with 8:15 left in the half.

The game threatened to snowball from there, as Carlson completed a long pass to Jax Jundy to make it 38-28. Pattonsburg threatened on its next drive, only for Ryder Sample to get a pick six with 6:41 left to make it 44-28. King City got another stop and Medsker scored to make it 50-28.

Gage Fortner was knocked out of the game for Pattonsburg, but Camden Griffith stepped in at quarterback and passed to Wyatt Maize with nine seconds left in the half to make it 50-36. Pattonsburg had the ball to start the second half, and they took advantage of the free possession despite losing Griffith to an injury, forcing them to use Wyatt Maize. It didn't matter as Maize threw a long pass to Gavin Humphrey to cut it to 50-44 with 9:54 left in the third.

Pattonsburg recovered an onsides kick, but King City got a stop and Medsker took it in with 6:34 left in the third to make it 56-44. 

What followed was one of the craziest drives Pattonsburg had throughout its history. With a makeshift lineup due to Maize having to play quarterback, they converted three fourth downs and moved slowly down the field. Finally, Landon Carlson picked off Maize on fourth and goal and ran it back, only for Maize to strip him of the ball. Alex Young recovered it at the King City 25 and Pattonsburg had new life. King City then got an apparent fourth down stop, only to get called for roughing the passer, and Pattonsburg finally cashed in with 11:07 left to make it 56-52.

But King City turned to Graham Medsker, who had gashed Pattonsburg last year for over 300 yards on the ground, and he came through on several carries, finally scoring it on a two-yard run with 8:06 left to make it 62-52. Pattonsburg brought back Camden Griffith at quarterback, but King City stopped him before Carlson hit Wainscott for a score. King City got the all-important two-point conversion to make it a three-score game at 70-52. Griffith led Pattonsburg down the field and found Wyatt Maize in the end zone with 4:29 left in the game to make it 70-60, but King City was able to run out the clock for the win.

Gage Fortner completed over 300 yards in the first half before being knocked out of the game. He was 17 for 28 with 306 yards, three touchdowns, and two picks. Camden Griffith was 7 for 15 for 80 yards, and two scores. Wyatt Maize was five for 14 for 52 yards, one score, and one pick. Pattonsburg ran 89 plays from scrimmage to just 44 for King City.

Wyatt Maize rushed 20 times for 115 yards. Camden Griffith had 7 carries for 39 yards, and Gage Fortner had 2 carries for 13 yards.

Wyatt Maize had 9 catches for 188 yards. Camden Griffith had 4 catches for 42 yards. Drake Sperry had his best night as a receiver after he was pressed into service, getting 5 catches for 47 yards. Ryker Fortner, also pressed into service, had 1 catch for 10 yards. Gavin Humphrey had 10 catches for 151 yards.

Wyatt Maize and Gavin Humphrey had 9 tackles. Ryker Fortner had 6, Collin Mason 5, Maverick Roberts and Jace Estrada 4, Drake Sperry 3, and Camden Griffith, Alex Young, and Andrew Craig 1 each. 

Wyatt Maize Breaks 1,000 Yard Barrier as Panthers Drop Albany

Wyatt Maize broke the 1,000 yard rushing yard barrier for Pattonsburg as the Panthers beat Albany 64-56 to clinch a second seed in the districts and earn a bye for Friday. They will play again on Friday, November 7th against either King City or Princeton. The Panthers led the whole way, but had to hang by their fingernails at the end with Albany riding Elliot Mercer to the end, getting him almost 300 yards on the ground.

Albany’s resurgence can be credited to Mercer, who had 139 or more yards in each of their last four games. He had 159 carries for 1,285 yards after Friday’s game.

Wyatt Maize had 24 carries for 152 yards for the Panthers. After Friday’s game, Maize had 111 carries for 1,073 yards for the season, an average of 9.7 yards per carry. He successfully completed a hat trick, rushing for two touchdowns, throwing for one, and catching a touchdown pass. He is now the all-time leading rusher at Pattonsburg; Gage Iddings had 999 rushing yards in his two years as the quarterback for the Panthers. The single game rushing record for Pattonsburg belongs to Brody Langfitt, who had 275 yards in a game in 2021. Iddings rushed for 221 yards in Pattonsburg’s 90-66 win over Albany in 2023.

Worth County has had two players complete a hat-trick of throwing for a touchdown, rushing for a touchdown, and catching a touchdown pass. Vinny Fletchall did it once, as did Brevyn Ross.

The game was one where both sides tried to run each other off the football field. Both sides put up big numbers, made few mistakes, and had some big performances. Both sides turned the ball over just once.

For Pattonsburg, Gage Fortner completed 17 of 27 attempts for 290 yards and four scores. Wyatt Maize completed a 46-yard pass for a score.

Wyatt Maize had 3 catches for 56 yards. Camden Griffith had 8 catches for 121 yards. Drake Sperry had 1 catch for 3 yards. Gavin Humphrey, who always seems to save his best games for Albany, had 7 catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns. Humphrey had nearly 300 yards last year in Pattonsburg’s 76-72 loss to the Warriors, a game that almost derailed Albany’s undefeated season.

Jace Estrada had 12 tackles, 3 for loss. Camden Griffith had 10 tackles, 1 for loss. Wyatt Maize had 10, Ryker Fortner had a career-high 9, Gavin Humphrey 6, Alex Young and Collin Mason 4, Andrew Craig 3, Drake Sperry and Beau Gibson 2, and Kaos Sweiger 1.

For Albany, Jace Palmer completed 10 of 18 passes for 171 yards and ran 12 times for 35 yards. Elliot Mercer had 32 carries for 285 yards. Carter Dannar had 8 carries for 18 yards. Palmer’s improvement has been key as well for the Warriors; he gashed North Andrew for almost 200 yards to jump-start their three game winning streak and his 171 yards through the air Friday night was a career high.

Jared Owens had 1 catch for 14 yards for the Warriors. Zayden Palmer had 1 catch for 59 yards. Elliot Mercer had 2 catches for 20 yards. Carter Dannar had 3 catches for 53 yards. Will Fish had 3 catches for 25 yards.

Mercer did all he could for Albany on both sides of the ball, leading the Warriors with 13 tackles, two for loss. Porter Runnels had 8 tackles, one for loss, and one sack. Jay Anthony had 8, Jared Owens 5, Jace Palmer 4, Zayden Palmer and Kutter Peterson 3, and Carter Dannar and Clayton Griffin 2.

Albany snapped a three-game winning streak; they had gotten off to a bad start before suddenly getting it together against North Andrew, Princeton, and Stanberry. They will face Stanberry again Friday; the winner will travel to Worth County on November 7th.

 

 

 

Lucas Frisch Recovery Sparks Tiger Rout; Wyatt Maize Rushes for 172 Yards for Panthers

Lucas Frisch pounced on an onsides kick recovery to break open a tight game for Worth County and the Tigers went on to beat Pattonsburg 74-24 to hand Pattonsburg its first loss. Wyatt Maize ran for 172 yards for the Panthers despite the loss.

The win means the Tigers clinch at least a tie for first place in the GRC West. If Worth County beats King City Friday, they win the conference title outright, clinches the top seed in districts, and Pattonsburg will get the second seed by virtue of their win over King City no matter how they do against Albany Friday.

If King City beats Worth County, they tie Worth County for the top spot in the GRC West, and Pattonsburg would join them with a win over Albany.

The game was marred by torrential rains and two lightning delays. Some of the players were slow getting up, Hayden Sanders had to come out for a play at one point, and one of the officials was shaken up after slipping in the muddy surface.

Pattonsburg got the ball to start the game  after a 45-minute delay for lightning and Bo Collins forced a hurry and Brayden Stevens broke up a pass to set up third and 10 at their own 22. The next pass was incomplete as well and Pattonsburg went for it on fourth and ten. But Jude Archer broke up a pass and the Tigers had the ball with s short field. Cole Ruby picked up four yards and then Brayden Stevens weaved his way 10 yards to the eight. Cole Ruby got a block from Caleb New and got a cutback run to the house with 10:19 left in the first quarter. Hayden Sanders muscled his way in for the extra points to make it 8-0.

The Panthers had better luck on the ground in the next series as Gage Fortner scrambled for a first down to the Tiger 28 on fourth and five. On the next play, Gage Fortner aired it out and Lucas Frisch covered Wyatt Maize perfectly, only for Wyatt to snatch it out of the air for a score. Bo Collins batted down the extra point pass and Worth County was still up 8-6.

It only took Worth County two plays to respond after they got the ball back at the 17. Cole Ruby weaved his way to the 35, and on the next play, he got a block from Caleb New and took it to the house with 6:45 left in the first. Brayden Stevens got a block from Lucas Frisch and ran in the extra points to make it 16-6.

Pattonsburg started at its own 26. Ethan Lininger flushed Gage Fortner out of the pocket and he dropped off a short pass to Camden Griffith to the 31. Fortner tried to air another one out, but Hayden Sanders was in to provide safety help, and he batted it away at the last minute. Wyatt Hill and Lucas Frisch broke up another pass to set up fourth and five. But a pass interference kept the drive alive to the Tiger 34. Wyatt Maize picked up three before being met by Lucas Frisch at the 31. Gavin Humphrey tried a sweep, but Jude Archer, Brayden Stevens, and Ethan Lininger strung it out and held him to two yards to the 29. Gage Fortner scrambled to the 26 and then Wyatt Maize picked up two more to convert a fourth and one at the 24. The Panthers got as far as the 19, but a false start, a fingertip pass breakup by Lucas Frisch on Wyatt Maize on a ball that might have gone for six, and a sack by Ryder Smyser set up fourth and 18 at the 32. Camden Griffith was tackled four yards short of the first down at the 18.

But then a fumble and a false start led to a kick that was shanked, and Pattonsburg got good field position at the Tiger 34. Pattonsburg was faced with third and ten, but then Wyatt Maize broke tackle after tackle to the 28 and converted a fourth and four to the 23 for a measured first down. Drake Sperry caught a short pass, got a block from Jace Estrada, and picked up 10 to the 13. Wyatt Maize broke a tackle, got a block from Drake Sperry, and picked up five to the 8. On the next play, Maize ran through the Tiger defense like they weren't even there and scored to make it 16-12 with 10:12 left in the half.

A holding penalty wiped out a Tiger kickoff return for a score and put the ball on the 10. Cole Ruby met Jace Estrada and Camden Griffith on the next play at the 11. Worth County lined up in the Wildkat formation with Brayden Stevens and he ran right through the defense, scoring with 8:56 left in the half. Cole Ruby got a block from Bo Collins and added the extra points to make it 24-12. On the ensuing kickoff, Lucas Frisch recovered a squib kick at the Pattonsburg 37. It only took one play to take advantage as Hayden Sanders ran through the Pattonsburg defense like it wasn’t even there. Cole Ruby ran in the extra points to make it 32-12.

The ensuing kick rolled into no-man’s land and Wyatt Hill nearly recovered it at the Pattonsburg 12, but it rolled out of bounds before he could secure it. Pattonsburg took advantage as Wyatt Maize ran through the Tiger defense like it wasn’t even there as Pattonsburg cut it to 32-18. That capped a stretch of four scores in 1:41.

At that point, lightning started coming close and the game was delayed by another half-hour. When play resumed, Pattonsburg tried an onsides kick of their own, only to scrape the top of the ball and Worth County got the ball at the Pattonsburg 30. A false start moved it back to the 35, but then Hayden Sanders got four yards and Cole Ruby bulldozed his way to the 21. Ruby picked up four more to the 17, and Brayden Stevens took a quick pitch to the 13. On the next play, Cole Ruby got a block from Lucas Frisch and took it to the house with 6:06 left in the first half. Blocks by Caleb New and Hayden Sanders set up a cutback run by Brayden Stevens to add the extra points and make it 40-18.

Pattonsburg got the ball back, and a diving catch by Gavin Humphrey put it on the Tiger 27. A block in the back put it back on the 35, but a diving catch by Camden Griffith put it on the seven. But Wyatt Maize was tackled one yard short of the goal line and on fourth and goal at the one, Gage Fortner’s knee hit the ground in the mud as he was trying to field a snap and Worth County held right before the half.

The Panthers were still moving the ball in the second half, but gave up too many big plays to keep up in a driving downpour through much of the third quarter. First, Hayden Sanders got a block from Sawyer Thurman and took it 55 yards to the house. Then, after Worth County stopped a Pattonsburg drive at the 20, Cole Ruby got loose for a 50 yard run to make it 54-18. A long run by Wyatt Maize to the Tiger 17 set up a scramble by Gage Fortner, who threw a sidearm sling to Camden Griffith, who took it to the house to make it 54-24 with 3:17 left in the third.

Pattonsburg tried another onsides kick, but Worth County fell on it at the Pattonsburg 38 and had another short field to work with. Hayden Sanders muscled his way to the 34, and Brayden Stevens took the Wildkat snap seven yards to the 27. Cole Ruby met Jace Estrada at the 26, but as Pattonsburg was selling out to stop the run, Caleb New was all alone for a 26-yard strike from Hayden Sanders to make it 60-24. It was Worth County’s only pass attempt all night.

On Pattonsburg’s second play from scrimmage on the next series, Ryder Smyser got a big hit and Lucas Frisch recovered it at the 40. Pattonsburg threw in the towel at the end of the third, putting in their JV. Jordan Dannar got a block from Bentin Roberts and took it to the house with 10:26 left in the fourth to make it 66-24, and then Lance Runde snatched a fumble in mid-air to give the Tigers the ball again at the Pattonsburg four. Bentin Roberts got a block from Jordan Dannar for a score with 6:52 left. Jordan Dannar ran in the extra points to make it 74-24 before Pattonsburg threw in the towel.

 

Wyatt Maize Rushes for 160 as Pattonsburg Survives Scare

It looked like a perfect trap game for Pattonsburg. They had just come off a 58-42 win over King City, the Panthers propelled themselves into the state rankings, and they were on the road to a St. Joseph Christian team that was young but was getting better every single week. They couldn’t afford to look past the Lions to Worth County. The Lions’ triple option game, with a lot of different wrinkles and a capable passing game, was capable of causing any team problems. They got a scare as they were in a real fight with the Lions, who trailed only 26-20 at one point halfway through the second quarter. But the Panthers have always been able to finish off games this year, and they did so yet again, pulling away to a 58-32 win over the Lions.

Wyatt Maize gashed the Lions on the ground with 160 yards on 13 carries as Pattonsburg continued with their formula of throwing the ball but running enough to keep enemy teams off-balance to get the win. That included a 48-yard run. Gage Fortner added three carries for 35 yards and Gavin Humphrey had 1 carry for 26 yards.

Gage Fortner completed 19 of 31 passes for 226 yards. He had six touchdowns and 1 interception. Wyatt Maize had 5 catches for 55 yards. Camden Griffith had 9 catches for 100 yards, Drake Sperry 2 catches for 12 yards, and Gavin Humphrey 5 catches for 59 yards.

Maize also carried the Panthers on defense, getting 11 tackles. Camden Griffith had 9, and Jace Estrada and Gavin Humphrey had 8. Alex Young played one of his best games as a Panther defensively, getting 7. Ryker Fortner had 6, Drake Sperry 5, Collin Mason 4, Remington White 2, and Kaos Sweiger and Andrew Craig had 1.

Ten of the Lions’ plays went for negative yardage. Jace Estrada had four tackles for loss. Wyatt Maize had 3, and Camden Griffith, Drake Sperry, and Ryker Fortner had 1 each.

Pattonsburg has shown a new-found ability to take the ball away from teams; they continued that Friday by forcing four turnovers. Camden Griffith ran back an interception 25 yards. Wyatt Maize, Ryker Fortner, and Collin Mason all had fumble recoveries.

 

Camden Griffith Catches 240 Yards in Panther Win

Camden Griffith had a big night for Pattonsburg Friday as the Panthers kept pace with Worth County with a 58-42 win over King City. He caught 10 passes for 240 yards, including a 72-yard catch. Gavin Humphrey had 9 for 75 yards. Wyatt Maize had 5 catches for 63 yards. Drake Sperry had 3 passes for 17 yards.

Wyatt Maize completed one pass for 38 yards. Gage Fortner had 26 completions in 37 attempts for 357 yards.

Wyatt Maize had 12 carries for 55 yards. Gage Fortner had 6 carries for 17 yards. Camden Griffith ran back a kickoff 65 yards.

Wyatt Maize and Camden Griffith had 11 tackles each. Gavin Humphrey had 9, Alex Young 6, Collin Mason 5, Jace Estrada 3, Ryker Fortner 2, and Andrew Craig 1. Wyatt Maize had 5 tackles for loss. Collin Mason had 2 and Ryker Fortner and Gavin Humphrey had 1 each. Wyatt Maize had 2 sacks.

Turnovers were a key as Pattonsburg had three takeaways while King City had none. Camden Griffith had a pick while Alex Young and Ryker Fortner had fumble recoveries. Gavin Humphrey forced a fumble.

A halfback pass from Wyatt Maize to Camden Griffith that spanned 38 yards set up a four-yard run from Gage Fortner with 9:45 left in the first quarter that put Pattonsburg up 6-0.

Landon Carlson countered with a five-yard run with 5:55 left in the first and added the two points to put King City up 8-6.

Gage Fortner countered with a 32-yard pass to Camden Griffith and Wyatt Maize added the extra points with 4:58 left to put Pattonsburg back up 14-8.

The key sequence of the game came next, when Carlson was seemingly in the clear for a long touchdown run, only for Gavin Humphrey to strip him from behind. Alex Young recovered in the end zone for a touchback, and Pattonsburg came right back and scored. Gage Fortner connected with Camden Griffith from five yards out with 10.9 seconds left in the first quarter to make it 22-8 after Gavin Humphrey’s conversion pass. From there, King City was playing catch-up the rest of the way.

Landon Carlson struck back, finding Coltin Potter in the end zone from 14 yards out with 9:22 left in the first half, only for Camden Griffith to run back the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to the house. Gavin Humphrey caught the extra point pass to make it 30-14.

A pitch to  Graham Medsker, who victimized Pattonsburg with 300+ yards on the ground last year, carried 40 yards for a score with 7:38 left to make it 30-22.

On the ensuing drive, Landon Carlson was ejected from the game, but Pattonsburg turned it over on downs and Isaac King stepped right in at quarterback for King City and kept the pressure on Pattonsburg the rest of the game.

King led the Wildkats down the field and found Tucker Mollus in the end zone with 54.9 seconds left in the half and the Wildkats were down 30-28 after the failed conversion.

King City was forced to punt to start the second half, but after a long touchdown was called back for holding, Pattonsburg turned it over on towns. King City fumbled it on the next play and Pattonsburg got a short field to work with. Gage Fortner threw a strike to Drake Sperry and Pattonsburg led King City 36-28 with 4:23 left in the third.

Pattonsburg made a goal line stand at the 5 at the end of the third and two plays later, Fortner threw a strike to Camden Griffith and his catch and run from 72 yards out put Pattonsburg up two scores. Griffith converted the extra points to make it 44-28 with 11:40 left.

King City marched right down the field again and Graham Medsker took it to the house with 7:54 left from three yards out to make it 44-34.

Pattonsburg was faced with fourth and six from the King City 18, but Fortner found Griffith for a score with 5:31 left to make it 50-34.

King City turned it over on downs, but Pattonsburg was forced to punt with 2:04 left. With 1:39 left in the game, Isaac King found Jax Jundy open for a long pass and Medsker ran in the extra points to make it 50-42.

But Pattonsburg recovered the onside kick, and Wyatt Maize caught a 48-yard pass with 1:17 left Drake Sperry added the conversion to make it 58-42. Camden Griffith got a pick on the next series to seal the game.