CORNING — Class 1A No. 9 Panorama had just about everything go wrong that could go wrong in one half of football. The second half was a second matter entirely, with the Panthers overcoming four turnovers and an 11-point deficit to post a 41-31 win over Clarinda Friday.
The game was played at Southwest Valley, as Clarinda’s home field — recently reseeded — is not yet ready for action.
Panorama (1-1) fumbled three punts and one kickoff in the first half, with Clarinda (0-2) recovering all four flubs. Those miscues led to short fields and a second quarter that saw the Cardinals score all of their 31 points in 12 minutes of play.
Wyatt Clark scored on a five-yard run, with Dominic Walker booting the PAT as Panorama posted a 7-0 lead after one frame. Then disaster struck for the Panthers.
Quarterback Wyatt Schmitt hit Michael Shull for a 16-yard touchdown, then found Cole Ridnour for a 14-yard TD and a 14-7 lead.
Drew Taylor scored on a 19-yard aerial connection with Walker to knot the score at 14-all, but Nathan Barnes sent a 27-yard kick through the uprights for a 17-14 Cardinal lead.
A 28-yard scoring strike from Schmitt to Isaac Jones was offset by Hunter Pauley grabbing a 29-yard TD loft from Walker, and when the Panorama two-point conversion failed the Panthers found themselves trailing, 24-20. The deficit grew to 31-20 at the break when Schmitt dashed in from six yards away.
“We knew we had things to fix (at halftime) but it was a lot of things we knew we controlled,” Panorama head coach Mike Kauzlarich said. “Credit the kids for coming out and fixing the first half mistakes.”
The four lost possessions not only led to four scores for Clarinda but also denied a potent Panorama offense from having the ball four additional times. What the Panthers could do with the pigskin became evident after the break, with the team scoring three unanswered touchdowns as the defense — now not facing sudden turnovers and short fields — began to assert itself.
Clark bulled in from three yards away, with a two-point conversion bringing Panorama to within 31-28 in the third. They grabbed the lead when Walker broke free for a 27-yard TD run to put Panorama ahead, 34-31.
The Cardinal offense began to stall, and Walker’s two-yard dive in the fourth and his PAT boot capped the scoring.
“Overall it was a great night of football,” Kauzlarich said. “Our kids showed great toughness and the ability to overcome adversity. Along with the four first-half turnovers we also had 23 penalties for almost 200 yards. Typically those are not winning combinations.”
Schmitt was 16-of-28 for 257 yards, three TDs and one interception. Shull (6-87, 1 TD), Ridnour (3-58, 1 TD), and Jones (3-38, 1 TD) led the way for the Cardinal receivers.
Clarinda reported running the ball 21 times for just 11 yards, with Tadyn Bowen given 15 yards on five carries.
Walker finished 16-of-24 for 269 passing yards and two scores for the victors.
Pauley (3-56, 1 TD), Drew Taylor (3-53, 1 TD), Preston Walker (4-36) and Evan Taylor (3-31) led Panther receivers, with Zach Rizzuti (1-25), Wyatt Clark (1-20), and Jack Weinkoetz (1-8) also pulling in passes.
Dominic Walker added 113 yards on 22 carriers, with Preston Walker adding 40 yards on eight runs and Clark 12 yards on eight hauls. Dominic Walker and Clark each scored twice on the ground, with Pauley having two carries for minus-9 yards.
Trent Hambleton led the Panorama defense with seven tackles, with Drew Taylor in on five stops and Dominic Walker and Pauley on 4.5 apiece. Drew Taylor had an interception, with Evan Taylor and Wyatt Appleseth each recording a sack.
“Now we host Van Meter, who has started this year 2-0 and continues to be a strong program,” Kauzlarich said. “It will be a great test and we are looking forward to matching up with one of the best programs in the state of Iowa.”
