PANORA, IA — Fifth-ranked Pella Christian ran for 522 yards and scored seven of their nine touchdowns from further than 40 yards away in overwhelming host Panorama, 61-3, Friday, in non-district football.
“Friday night we played one of the best teams in class 1A. They were big, fast, and physical,” Panther head coach Mike Kauzlarich said. “We just really didn’t match up well.”
Despite the lopsided results Kauzlarich found several positives from the game.
“Our run game came to play again,” the coach noted. “It was good to see Ryan Cogil rush for 184 yards. Huge props to our offensive line for playing lights out up front and being physical paving lanes for Cogil.”
“Defensively we knew their offense was going to put us in some situations where we were going to need to make some one-on-one tackles,” Kauzlarich added. “Unfortunately we didn’t do a very good job and lost more of these one-on-ones than we won.”
Panorama was the first to score, putting their only points on the scoreboard early in the game when Jacob Walker connected on a 42-yard field goal.
The first of series of long touchdown runs from the Eagles followed. Quarterback Isaac Kacmarynski broked free for scoring burst of 64 and of 65 yards, with Peyton Ritzert sprinting in from 45 yards out for a 21-3 lead.
Scoring jaunts of 45 yards from Kacmarynski, of 40 from Benny Shirz and of 75 by Johnson Morgan set the halftime score at 42-3.
A 29-yard Kacymarynski run and a 22-yard Ritzert TD spurt in the third quarter moved the margin to 55-3, with Shirtz capping the score in the final period with a 75-yard dash against an exhausted Panther defense.
Quarterback Klayton Bremer was 4-14-1 for 31 yards passing with Cayden VanMeer 1-of-3 for five yards.
Braedon Draper (1-12), Will Knapp (1-12), Bremer (1-5), Landon Kirtley (1-4) and Connor Love (1-3) caught passes for the hosts.
Cogil’s 184 rushing yards came on a bruising 44 carries. Bremer had 15 yard on 10 runs and Sawyer Simmons 12 on six carries, with Van Meer (1-2), Austin Wagner (1-2) and Kirtley (1, minus-12) also toting the pigskin.
Bremer and Joel Cooper had six tackles apiece, with Cooper recovering a fumble.
Kacmarynski completed one of five passes for 14 yards, with Collin Vander Wall making the reception.
Kacmarynski (11-204, 4 TDs), Shirz (4-160, 2TDs), Morgan (2-77, 1 TD), and Ritzert (7-74, 2 TDs) fueled the ground attack.
Panorama (1-1) learned Friday that their week zero game with Perry, a 39-21 win, would now be considered as a scrimmage, with all results and statistics officially discarded.
The Panthers will visit the Cardinals of Central Decatur (0-2) Friday in their final non-district game. Central Decatur has fallen, 17-11, at Southwest Valley and 33-13 to visiting Mt. Ayr.
