PANORA — Perennial playoff powerhouses Madrid and Van Meter handed the Panorama football team their only two losses of the 2016 season, setbacks severe enough to leave the Panthers on the outside of the at-large playoff considerations in Class 1A.
The Tigers and Bulldogs will be strong again this season, but the Panthers (7-2, 5-2) are asking no quarter and are determined to avoid leaving their fate in the hand of others.
Many of the key pieces return for veteran head coach Lyle Alumbaugh, who said he expected the 2017 Panthers to be “a very balanced team, and one that is hopefully more physical than we were last year.”
Ethan Hupp returns to anchor the offensive line at center, with Daniel Jensen and Koltin Sloss lining up in the guard slots with a combination of Gabe Fell, Kyle Cogil and Dalton Holmes manning the tackle spots.
Luke South started at quarterback as a freshman last season and gained valuable experience, which the team obviously hopes will continue to pay dividends for the next several years. South hit on 80-of-155 passes for 1,182 yards and 13 touchdowns last season while being intercepted eight times. He scored five rushing TDs as well, totaling 237 yards on 87 carries.
Leading rusher Brody Rickheim (92-572, 9 TDs) returns for his senior year, with Gunnar Grunsted (27-138, 3 TDs) also to see time in the backfield. Blaine Barber (34-158, 1 TD) will also be given a share of the carries.
Tanner Godfrey (7-100, 1 TD) will line up on the outside, with Spencer Hunt and Alias Stahl in the rotation as well, while Barber (10-144, 2 TDs), Trey Cobb (11-109) and Conner Meinecke will each receive playing time in the slot. Grunsted was also a target for South passes last fall, collecting seven aerials for 169 yards and three scores.
Michael Allen connected on 32-of-34 PAT kicks last year and will again be the placekicker, with South moving into punting duties.
Panorama’s defense intercepted 17 passes last year (Barber had three and South, Godfrey and Grunsted two each) while recovering 12 fumbles.
Grunsted led the unit with 49.5 tackles, with Cobb making 41.5 stops and Rickheim 28.5 Jensen was credited with 27. 5 tackles, including 10 quarterback sacks.
Jensen and Sloss will start at defensive tackle, with Rickheim and Hupp at defensive end. Cobb and Grunsted will line up at inside linebacker, with Godfrey and Meinecke on the edges.
Some combination of Barber, Hunt and Stahl will start at cornerback, with South expected to return at free safety.
The Panthers played only one game last year decided by 25 or fewer points, a season-opening 31-14 win at Des Moines Christian. Excluding a 47-0 throttling by Van Meter and a 35-6 loss at Madrid, Panorama outscored their opposition 288-58 in their seven wins.
The season opens tonight with a visit from DMC, with a trip to Woodward to face the Woodward Academy set for next Friday. The Panthers host Madrid Sept. 8 and Ogden, for Homecoming, Sept. 15. A road trip to South Hamilton is on the schedule for Sept. 22, with Eagle Grove coming to Panora Sept. 29.
Road games at NW Webster (Oct. 6) and Van Meter (Oct. 13) account for the week seven and eight contests, with the regular season ending Oct. 20 when West Central Valley comes to Panora.
