Panthers roar past Red Hawks
BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Let’s talk about perfection.
Great Bend’s football team scored five touchdowns the first five times a Panther touched the football en route to a 61-7 Homecoming victory over the Wichita North Red Hawks.
Jace Schartz added a 55-yard scoring dash on the Panthers’ first offensive snap. Hayden Kelly scored on 36- and 39-yard touchdown receptions.
On the defensive side, Trenton Kern rumbled 20 yards on a fumble return for a 14-0 lead. Linebacker Jacob Hall grabbed the football in the air and sprinted 15 yards for a score and a 35-0 lead with 2:31 left in the first quarter.
“Three offensive plays, three touchdowns – I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Great Bend coach Erin Beck. “This was our opportunity to get everyone on our football team involved on Friday night. I’m excited for our players.”
Coach Beck loves his trick plays.
Quarterback Daxton Minton bounced a lateral off the turf that Cooper Ohnmacht scooped up before delivering a perfect 39-yard touchdown strike to Kelly for a 28-0 lead.
“That was fun,” Beck said. “Our offensive efficiency was good.”
Ian Premer talked Beck into kicking an extra point and Premer converted.
The Panthers’ Minton delivered two more electric offensive plays. Ohnmacht flew through the defense for a 28-yard scoring strike. Minton was untouched on a 31-yard touchdown sprint for a shocking 48-0 halftime lead.
Great Bend scored two wild second-half touchdowns. Schartz sprinted 93 yards for his second rushing touchdown to finish with two carries for 148 yards, a nifty 74-yard average. Minton completed three passes for 81 yards and two scores
After Wichita North quarterback Kamerynn Short completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Dupree, the Panthers had an answer. Wichita North drops to 0-4.
Ian Premer outdid Schartz for the longest score of the night. He broke several tackles on a highlight-reel 95-yard kickoff return for a 61-7 finale.
Great Bend’s final offensive statistics were stunning. The Panthers rushed for 278 yards on 15 carries and completed 4-of-4 passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns. Minton threw for two touchdowns and rushed for a score.
The only negative was Aidan Davidson’s 3-yard dash that ended with a fumble the Panthers recovered.
Beck said, “Aidan told me, ‘coach I’m officially a guard.’ “
Defensively, the Panthers earned four takeaways. Gavin Gilkison and Brogan Unruh intercepted passes, although Unruh lost the football on a fumble. The Red Hawks lost 9 rushing yards and gained 134 passing yards.
“Defensively, we thought that’s what we’d do and shut down them,” Beck said. “Coach Lutt preached getting a few turnovers and we accomplished that tonight.”
Great Bend (4-0) starts Western Athletic Conference play at Dodge City (3-1, 1-0 WAC) next week.
“I like how our schedule sets up ending with four WAC games,” Beck said. “It’s a tough stretch. It’ll make for better football down the stretch.”
Wichita North 0 0 0 7 – 7
Great Bend 35 13 6 7 -- 61
GB—Jase Schartz 55 run (Diego Soto kick); GB—Trenton Kern 20 fumble return (Soto kick); GB—Hayden Kelly 36 pass from Daxton Minton (Soto kick); GB—Kelly 39 pass from Cooper Ohnmacht (Ian Premer kick); GB—Jacob Hall 15 fumble return (Soto kick); GB—Ohnmacht 28 pass from Minton (Soto kick); GB—Mintn 31 run (kick fails); GB—Schartz 93 run (kick fails); WN—Isaiah Dupree 5 pass from Kamerynn Short (kick); GB—Premer 95 kickoff return (Soto kick)
RUSHING—WN—26-(-9); Short 4-15; Dupree 6-12; Jones 1-1; Pena 2-0; Escara 1-(-1); Alvarado 10-(-15); team 2-(-21); GB—15-278; Schartz 2-148; Josh Birney 6-72; Minton 2-38; Conner Holladay 1-14; Davidson 1-3; Ethan Somers 1-5; Premer 1-(-1); team 1-(-3)
PASSING—WN—Alvarado 4-13-1, 81; Short 5-12,-1, 53; GB—Minton 2-2-0, 64; Ohnmacht 1-1-0, 39; Somers 1-1-0, 17
RECEIVING—WN—Dupree 4-72; Doell 3-31; Cummings 1-16; Judson 1-15; GB—Kelly 2-75; Ohnmacht 1-28; Premer 1-17
