PANORAMA — Visiting Northwest Webster trailed, 27-0, in the second quarter Friday when they returned a Panorama kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown, with a two-point conversion bringing the score to 27-8.
Those 82 yards were more than triple the combined number of yards the Cougars would gain against a dominating Panther defense as Panorama cruised to a 53-8 victory.
The Cougars connected on 4-of-13 passes for 21 yards while being intercepted twice — both times by Gracen Welberg — with the ground game throttled to only four yards on 18 carries.
The Panther offense had no such worries, as junior quarterback Luke South hit 13-of-17 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns. The Panthers rushed 42 times for 341 yards and five TDs, with South carrying 16 times for 148 yards and two scores.
Spencer Hunt burst 33 yards for the first Panther TD, with Trey Cobb diving in from two yards out while Zach Rizzuti hauled in a 52-yard scoring strike from South. Welberg hit all three PAT kicks, giving the hosts a 21-0 lead after 12 minutes of action.[wpedon id=”85410″ align=”left”]
Allias Stahl snagged a nine-yard TD pass from South in the second period, but the PAT failed.
The Cougars gave their fans some excitement by bringing back the ensuing kickoff for their lone score of the game, but South found the end zone on runs of 41 and of two yards, with Welberg adding one PAT kick to set the halftime score at 40-8.
Rizutti and South hooked up for a 38-yard TD in the third period. The two-point conversion failed, but the Panthers held a 46-8 lead, setting in motion a continuous clock.
The final scoring of the game came in the fourth quarter when Alex Mendez dashed eight yards to pay dirt. Welberg’s PAT capped the scoring at 53-8.
Wellberg caught six passes for 92 yards, with Rizzuti grabbing three for 89 yards and two scores. Hunt (1-18) and Stahl (3-13, 1 TD) also pulled in South aerials.
Cobb (11-69, 1 TD), Hunt (5-68, 1 TD), Mendez (6-57, 1 TD), Wyatt Appleseth (2-3), Wyatt Clark (1-2) and Rizzuti (1 for minus-6) all carried the ball for the hosts.
Hunter Holmes and Dominic Walker each had a sack and a tackle for a loss for Panorama, with Cobb making four stops, one for a loss of yardage.
Panorama (2-0) visits I-35 for a week three scrap. The Roadrunners defeated Central Decatur, 26-14, in their season opener before topping Mt. Ayr, 28-13, in week two.
