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Panthers grind out 42-34 district win over Goodland

GOODLAND — While Goodland’s high flying aerial attack that lit up the scoreboard in the first half sputtered a bit over the final two quarters, the Concordia Panthers continued to pound away on the ground.
Concordia, trailing 34-28 at halftime, put together touchdown drives of 80 yards and 65 yards, all on the ground, in the second half to rally for a 42-34 Class 3A District 8 victory over Goodland Friday night.
The Panthers rushed the ball 64 times in the game for 473 yards.
Goodland quarterback Leyton Cure, a 6-3 junior, stunned the Panthers by completing13 of 19 passes for 345 yards and five touchdowns in the first half.
Cure had touchdown passes of 37, 62, 77, 62 and 8 yards as the Cowboys battled back from an early 12-0 deficit to take the 32-28 lead into halftime.
Concordia limited Cure to 14 of 26 for 63 yards and an interception in shutting out Goodland in the second half.
The Panthers evened their record at 3-3 with the win. They are 2-1 in district play heading into a home game against Beloit on Friday night.
Beloit, 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the district, upset previously unbeaten Scott City 28-13 on its home field.
Scott City is also 2-1 in the district.
In the other District 8 game played Friday night, undefeated Colby thumped Russell 55-14, and leads the district at 3-0.
Concordia would capitalize on a Goodland turnover to score its first touchdown of the game.
Mason Hernandez fumbled on the Cowboys’ first play from scrimmage, and Ivon Owen recovered at the Goodland 31-yard line.
Wyatt Trost completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to Chas Carlgren with 8:43 remaining in the first quarter.
The extra point was no good, and Concordia led 6-0.
Goodland, 1-5 overall and 0-3 in district play, would be forced to punt, and the Panthers took over on their own 38-yard line.
Five plays later junior Hunter Schroeder scampered 48 yards for a touchdown that put Concordia up 12-0.
Schroeder finished with 29 carries for 237 yards and two touchdowns.
A 37-yard touchdown pass from Cure to Sergio Lazo finished off a 75-yard drive by Goodland, and made it 12-6 with 3:35 to play in the first quarter.
Concordia stretched the lead when Trost found the end zone on an 11-yard run with 10:44 to play in the second period.
Trost ran in the two-point conversion, and the Panthers were up 20-6.
Goodland needed just two plays to go 70 yards following the Concordia kickoff.
Cure hooked up with DJ Knox on a 62-yard touchdown pass on second down.
The two-point conversion made it 20-12.
Concordia would be forced to punt, and Goodland got the ball back on its own 23-yard line.
Two plays later, Blake Sanderson got behind the Panther defense and hauled in a 77-yard touchdown pass from Cure, and it was a 20-18 game.
The Panthers would answer by going 60 yards in six plays.
Sophomore Keyan Miller had a 28-yard run during the drive.
Miller had 17 carries for 104 yards in the game.
Chas Carlgren capped off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run with 6:25 left in the first half.
Schroeder ran in the two-point conversion.
Trailing 28-18, the Cowboys responded with a 62-yard touchdown pass from Cure to Lazo.
Cure threw to Knox for the conversion to cut the deficit to two points, 28-26.
Trost had a pass intended for Aidan Poore intercepted at the Concordia 42-yard line.
Mason Murray caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Cure with 39 seconds to play before halftime.
Cure thew to Devontay Hardy for the conversion to put Goodland up 34-28.
Completing five of eight passes, Cure moved Goodland down the field on its first possession of the second half.
The Cowboys were facing a fourth down and two when Cure had a pass intercepted by Stryker Hake in the end zone.
It was the third interception this season for Hake, a freshman.
Concordia then pounded away on the ground going 80 yards in 11 plays, all runs and taking nearly five minutes off the clock.
Schroeder had five carries for 60 yards during the drive.
Trost, who rushed 16 times for 117 yards, scored on a 3-yard run.
Easton Atwood kicked the extra point to give the Panthers the lead back at 35-34.
Concordia was still clinging to the one point lead when it got the ball back on its own 35-yard line following a Goodland punt.
The Panthers marched 65 yards in nine plays, again all runs.
Schroeder scored his second touchdown on a 4-yard run.
Atwood’s extra point made it 42-34 with 3:33 left in the game.
Goodland would go from its own 25-yard line to the Concordia 35.
Cure’s pass to Sanderson on a fourth down and two was incomplete, and the Panthers took possession.
Concordia would be forced to punt, and Goodland got the ball on its own 26-yard line with 1:08 on the clock.
Cure threw three incomplete passes and was sacked, and the Panthers were able to run out the clock.
Trost completed 6 of 11 passes for 73 yards in the game.
Poore had four catches for 30 yards.

 

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