PANORA — For nearly three quarters Friday it appeared the Ogden football team had not been notified of what was supposed to transpire.
The Bulldogs were to come to Panora, but up a bit of a fight, and then dutifully slink away, allowing Panorama to cruise to a Homecoming victory.
Instead, Ogden (1-3, 0-2) refused to play along, leading by 10 points in the second quarter and by five in the third before the Panthers (3-1, 1-1) finally found their stride to record a 40-24 triumph.
Blaine Barber scored on a three-yard run to give the hosts a 6-0 lead after one frame, but the signs were already evident the hosts were going to be in for a real scrap.
Ogden moved the ball crisply down the field on a pair of extended drives in the second quarter, taking an 8-6 lead when Aaron McCutcheon ran through a big hole for a 15-yard touchdown, with quarterback Sam Christensen flipping a conversion pass to Taylon Engleen.
Christensen proved an effective dual-threat for the guests, using several elusive runs to lead the second scoring drive, eventually stepping into the end zone from 10 yards out. Cole Gunderson’s run pushed the score to 16-6.
Panorama responded when Barber scored on a six-yard run, but the hosts found themselves in a 16-12 hole at the half.
Enter 6-foot, 205 pound running back Brody Rickheim.
The Panther junior ran hard throughout the second half, storming to 111 yards on 14 carries while scoring three times after the break.
Rickheim’s 45 yard tackle-breaking burst early in the third, and Michael Allen’s PAT boot, put the hosts in front, 19-16.
Ogden was unplussed, with Christensen finding a wide-open Gunderson for a 66-yard TD pass. Christensen ran the conversion, and suddenly Ogden had retaken the lead, at 24-19.
Several powerful runs from Rickheim, including a one-yard lunge for a score, seemed to motivate the hosts at last. Allen’s PAT made it 26-24, and when the awakened Panther defense forced two turnovers, it was a Rickheim one-yard dive and Allen boot — following a 42-yard pass from Luke South to Tanner Godfrey to the Bulldog one yard line — that finally gave the hosts breathing room, at 33-24, early in the fourth frame.
Allen got into the TD act later in the frame, bouncing wide off right tackle and outrunning a tiring Bulldog defense down the near sideline for a 65-yard score. He added his own PAT, capping the scoring.
South was 6-16-1 for 88 yards passing for the hosts. Godfrey (1-42), Gunnar Grunsted (1-14), Rickheim (1-13), Barber (1-10) and Conner Meinecke (2-9) all caught passes.
Panorama ran 43 times for 301 yards and Ogden 36 times for 178 yards. Rickheim (14-111, 3 TDs), Allen (4-68, 1 TD), Barber (6-38, 2 TDs), South (9-37), Grunsted (7-35) and Meinecke (7-35) complied the Panther yardage.
Trey Cobb had 9.5 tackles and Grunsted five, with Dalton Holmes, Daniel Jensen and Connor Powell each recording a sack. Cobb recovered a fumble, with Barber and South making one interception apiece.
Christensen was 8-18-2 for 179 yards and a TD through the air. Gunderson (2-73, 1 TD), Noah Snedden (1-34) and McCutcheon (1-27) led the Bulldog receivers.
McCutcheon carried 14 times for 102 yards and a TD, Christensen 19 times for 71 yards and a score and Jacob Kathman three times for five yards.
Kathman led all tacklers with 11.5 stops, with Jonah Tew making 10.5 stops and Charlie Lake eight while Grant Palmer intercepted a pass.
Panorama will travel to South Hamilton (3-1, 0-1) Friday to be the Homecoming opponent for the Hawks, who fell at No. 4 Van Meter, 42-0, Sept. 15.
