LAST MEETING — The Cougars recovered four Panther fumbles but could not sustain drives and fell, 35-7. Panorama’s Luke South passed for 158 yards and Brody Rickheim ran for 222 yards and three touchdowns in the win. The Panther defense intercepted two passes and fell on one fumble.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS — The ground game has all but disappeared and must be rediscovered, and in a hurry. The team has 1,135 yards and 17 TDs on the ground, but stouter competition has closed the running lanes.
Rickheim (54-364, 6 TDs), South (58-238, 3 TDs), Gunnar Grunsted (37-162, 1 TD) and Blaine Barber (21-154, 5 TDs) lead the team on the ground.
South is 55-107-6 for 717 yards and four TDs through the air, with Barber (24-290, 1 TD), Conner Meinecke (15-140, 1 TD) and Grunsted (6-98, 1 TD) his main targets.
Grunsted (47) and Trey Cobb (45) are the top two tacklers for a defense that has picked off nine passes and scooped up six fumbles.
ABOUT THE COUGARS — NW Webster has lost to No. 4 Van Meter (56-0) and South Hamilton (46-24) in district play. The team owns wins of 21-6 over Eagle Grove and of 36-7 against West Central Valley.
Derek Girard is 52-96-1 for 746 passing yards and six scores. He is no threat to tuck the ball and run, having 29 rushes for a negative 28 yards (sack yardage is deducted from rushing yards in prep football).
Keegan Pritchard (25-367, 5 TDs) is, far and away, Girard’s favorite option. Reid Steinberg has 12 catches for 116 yards and Blake Larson eight for 143 yards.
Steinberg’s 351 yards on 58 carries paces the rushing game. Mark Condon (76-257) adn Larsen (43-191) have also been involved. Larsen has six rushing TDs, Steinberg three and Condon one.
Girard leads the defense with 29.5 stops, with Steinberg and Condon each having 29 tackles. The defense has eight recovered fumbles and three interceptions to their credit.
OUTLOOK — Pritchard is a real threat in the passing game and the Panthers will have to keep him in check.
The Panorama offense must sustain drives, and that means a resurgence of the running game. Rickheim ran hard last season against the Cougars and the guest will need a similar effort from all their ball carriers
The Cougars are well-balanced and no easy target, but they will give up points, and if Panorama can jump out in front the visitors will have a good shot at leaving Manson with a win.
DISTRICT 6
| District | Overall | Point Diff Avg |
|||||
| Win | Loss | Tie | Win | Loss | Tie | ||
| Van Meter | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 17.00 |
| South Hamilton | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5.00 |
| Eagle Grove | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| NW Webster | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | -0.50 |
| Madrid | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | -2.00 |
| Panorama | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | -4.00 |
| West Central Valley | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | -4.75 |
| Ogden | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | -10.75 |
Friday’s Games
Panorama at NW Webster
Madrid at Eagle Grove
Ogden at South Hamilton
No. 4 Van Meter at West Central Valley
Oct. 13 Games
Panorama at No. 4 Van Meter
Eagle Grove at Ogden
NW Webster at Madrid
South Hamilton at West Central Valley
Oct. 20 Games
(End regular season)
West Central Valley at Panorama
Eagle Grove at South Hamilton
Madrid at No. 4 Van Meter
Ogden at NW Webster
