PANORA — The Panorama football team was dressed in their all-electric blue uniforms, with visiting Clarinda sporting red-white-and-black, but the color that might have had the determining factor in Friday’s outcome was bright yellow.
Clarinda was penalized five times for 35 yards, but a mistake-prone Panorama squad drew 20 flags and was assessed 175 yards of damage in a 28-27 loss to the visiting Cardinals in their Class 1A District 8 opener.
Panorama quarterback Alejandro Mendez torched the Clarinda defense for 417 and two touchdowns, but the Panther ground game vanished, the Cardinals holding their hosts to only two yards on 25 carries. Nine tackles for loss and seven sacks resulted in considerable negative yardage in the rushing stats, and while the Panthers did find some success, those limited numbers did little beyond erasing the yards lost.
Clarinda (2-3, 1-0) ran the ball 43 times for 242 yards and two touchdowns, with Michael Shull 3-of-10 for 104 yards and two TDs while tossing one interception.
Panorama (3-2, 0-1) was off to a quick start, with Trey Cobb reaching the end zone on a two-yard plunge. Spencer Hunt took a Mendez pass 81 yards for a TD moments later, with a pair of Gracen Welberg PAT boots giving the home team a 14-0 lead.
William Shull stepped over the goal line on an eight-yard rush later in the first quarter, with the first of four Nathan Barnes PAT kicks cutting the Cardinal deficit to 14-7.
Welberg brought the home crowd to their feet just seconds later by racing 85 yards with the ensuing kickoff, then adding his own PAT to move the score to 21-7 after 12 minutes of play.
Clarinda was able to tie the score with two Michael Shull-to-Carter Morris scoring connections, the first for 79 yards and the second for six yards. Morris also had a 19-yard non-scoring reception in the game.
Mendez, who finished 18-of-32 with two interceptions, found Welberg for a 33-yard TD and the only points of the third quarter. The PAT was missed, leaving the Panthers with only a 27-21 lead.
William Shull’s two-yard dive and a Barnes PAT pushed the Cardinals in front, 28-27, in the fourth quarter, but Panorama was able to mount a final drive. Unfortunately, a 40-yard TD pass was dropped during the attempted rally, and the hosts were unable to recover in dropping the contest.
Welberg had nine catches for 187 yards and a score, Hunt two snags for 114 yards and a TD and Allias Stahl three grabs for 60 total yards. Cobb (3-36) and Luke South (1-20) also had receptions.
South was 0-for-1 passing and had 17 yards on four rushes. Cobb carried five times for only three yards, with Hunt (2 for minus-12) and Mendez (14 for minus-6) also carrying the ball.
Cobb’s 10.5 tackles led the defense,with Trent Hambleton making nine stops. Welberg had an interception and a fumble recovery, with Colten Boatman also falling on a fumble.
Michael Shull ran 12 times for 127 yards and William Shull 19 times for 66 yards and two TDs to lead the Cardinal ground game, with Sy Young adding 51 yards on 12 carries while Morris lost one yard on his only attempt.
Panorama travels to Mt. Ayr (4-1, 1-0) Friday. The Raiders topped host West Central Valley, 54-29, in their district opener. They own wins of 36-0 at Nodaway Valley and of 16-14 over Clarke. They have shared two foes with Panorama, falling to Interstate-35 28-13 (Panorama fell, 34-13) while having won at Central Decatur 20-12 (Panorama was a 49-40 winner).
