STUART — Panorama’s defense scored a pair of touchdowns and recorded a safety to guide the visiting Panthers to a 29-8 win over West Central Valley in the season finale for both grid squads Friday.
Panorama finished 5-4 overall and 2-3 in Class 1A District 8 play by limiting WCV (1-8, 0-5) to only 46 yards rushing on 31 carries. The Wildcats also played well against the run, holding the Panthers to 30 yards on 38 rushes. High school statistics subtract yards lost to quarterback sacks as negative rushing yards, and with the teams combining to throw 63 passes, numerous sacks reduced the ground totals of both.
WCV completed 10-of-26 passes for 157 yards and one touchdown while being intercepted four times, with Luke South 20-of-37 for 294 yards and one score for Panorama.
Dominic Walker returned an interception 21 yards for a TD as the visitors seized a 6-0 lead after one quarter of action.
Trey Cobb and Koltin Sloss recorded a safety for Panorama early in the second frame, with South scoring on a one-yard dive. A two-point conversion failed, leaving the score at 14-0, where it remained until Gracen Welberg collected a fumble and rumbled 59 yards for a TD. This time the two-point attempt was converted, and the Panther advantage swelled to 22-0.
South hit Zach Rizzuti with a 44-yard TD pass, with Welberg kicking the PAT to establish a 29-0 lead at the intermission.
WCV scored on a 31-yard TD pass and a two-point conversion in the third quarter to cap the scoring in the contest.
Walker had two interceptions for Panorama, with Welberg and Rizzuti each picking off passes as well. Welberg had two fumble recoveries, Rizzuti and Trent Hambleton one each.
Cobb had nine tackles, Walker 5.5 stops and Rizzuti five. Sloss had a tackle for a loss and a sack, with Cobb making two tackles for negative yardage while Hambleton recorded two tackles behind the line of scrimmage as well as two sacks.
Rizzuti caught six passes for 93 yards and a TD, with Allias Stahl adding 90 yards on six receptions. Welberg (3-18), Cobb (2-37), Lucas Leiferman (3-35) and Jack Weinkoetz (1-21) also caught South aerials.
Cobb’s 44 yards on 15 rushes led Panorama, with Rizzuti (1-0), Wyatt Appleseth (2, minus-4) and South (20, minus-10) also carrying the ball.
The game was the final contest for 10 Panther seniors. The team was coached by Mike Kauzlarich.
