TMB allows 562 total yards in second straight loss
The Panther football team found the spark they needed in the second quarter of last Friday’s game against the powerful Springfield Tigers. But they needed a fire.
After being on the wrong end of a 20-0 second quarter score, TMB scored two quick touchdowns to make it a one-score game. However, it didn’t take long for the Tigers to reassert their dominance, and the third-ranked team in Class A would eventually pull away for a 68-18 win, sending the Panthers to their second straight loss after a season-opening victory.
“That’s the best team we’ve played so far and one of the best teams in the state,” TMB coach Ryan Kruse said. “We didn’t do a great job of coming out in the second half, but in the first half, we were right there.”
The fact that the Panthers (0-1, 2-1) were “right there” was a testament to their resiliency. The Tigers had their way early on, scoring two first-quarter touchdowns for a 14-0 lead and added another score on a 66-yard run by Paytin Johnson for a 20-0 advantage.
Meanwhile, the Panthers turned the ball over on each of their first four possessions — two interceptions, a turnover on downs and a fumble. However, a Jackson Kruse interception at the 9:45 mark of the second quarter turned the tide.
Two plays after Kruse’s pick, Aiden Sanow hit Griffin Zick for a 20-yard gain to the Springfield 27. Kruse then ran for another 8 yards, and Sanow had a short gain for another first down to the 17. After two incompletions, Kruse rumbled 12 yards down to the 5, and Sanow finished off the drive by running it in to make it 20-6 — TMB’s 2-point conversion attempt fell short.
“When we put that first scoring drive together, that’s kind of a been a six-week work in progress — that looked good and got us going,” coach Kruse said. “I thought that drive was the one where we didn’t make any mistakes that gave them anything. We were ahead of the chains on that one; we hit a couple passes and were able to run the ball. Our bad plays were 2 or 3 yards compared to negative yards. I feel like when we don’t miss our assignments … we do well.”
The momentum was not short-lived, either. After a 3-yard run by Johnson on the Tigers’ next possession, Springfield quarterback Parker Kuehn tried to reignite his offense, but Carson Lanoue stepped in front of his first pass attempt of the drive and ran it in untouched to bring the crowd to its feet. TMB once again failed on its two-point attempt, leaving the score 20-12.
The Tigers, however, weren’t close to being done and had no intention of letting the Panthers get any closer. Their next drive resulted in a 20-yard scoring pass for a 26-12 lead with 4:48 left in the first half.
TMB got one first down on the ensuing possession but was forced to punt, giving the Tigers one more chance to score before half. And score they did. Gains of 32 and 10 yards brought the ball to the TMB 18 before Kuehn connected with Isaac Fredin for an 18-yard touchdown and a 35-12 lead.
“If we could’ve put that drive together at 4 minutes — not necessarily score, but not give them the ball back where they scored and made it a three-score game,” Kruse said. “I think we’re seeing that we can be a pretty good team; it just hasn’t all happened yet. We’re getting there, just gotta keep practicing and getting better every day.”
CARSON LANOUE waits for his teammates to celebrate in the end zone after his pick 6 in the second quarter Friday that pulled TMB to within 20-12.
A SWARMING TMB DEFENSE CORRALS a Springfield runner.
NEVER ONE TO SHY AWAY FROM DIVING FOR A BALL, Emery Xiong gives up his body to attempt to catch a pass in the end zone Friday.
PANTHER QB AIDEN SANOW avoids a tackle and stays in bounds on this keeper in the first half Friday. Sanow was hit late on the play, resulting in a 15-yard penalty on Springfield.
The Tigers widened their lead to 55-12 before TMB got back on the board with a six-play drive that ended with Sanow hitting Emery Xiong for a 20-yard score. Xiong caught the pass between two Springfield defenders for the touchdown, with made it 5518 with :31 left in the third quarter.
The Panthers had trouble running the ball for most of the game and gained only 62 yards on the ground, as the Tiger defensive linemen routinely made their way into the TMB backfield. The Panthers averaged just 3.5 yards per play, while Springfield averaged 11 and had 29 first downs compared to 11 for the Panthers.
