SECTION FOOTBALL: SLEEPY EYE UNITED 28, TMB 12
Panthers’ 2025 campaign comes to an end with 28-12 loss to SEU
The only thing worse than having to go to school the day after playing a football game is having to go to school after losing that game. But that was the exact scenario the Panthers faced this week.
With an inconsistent passing attack and a ground game that fell well short of its lofty standards, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton watched its season come to an end with a 28-12 loss to Sleepy Eye United on Tuesday in the first round of the Section 3A Tournament.
“They played better than us overall,” TMB coach Ryan Kruse said.
TMB got the ball first and wasted little time in putting points on the board. Aiden Sanow hit Ty Yackley for a 30-yard gain on the Panthers second play from scrimmage and went up 6-0 when Sanow broke a tackle and ran it in from 15 yards out. The drive was an extension of the balance that the Panthers had been able to showcase in their two blowout road wins leading up to the playoffs.
However, the fun didn’t last long. On the ensuing kickoff, Carson Uecker caught Emery Xiong’s kick and handed it off to Tyler Mathiowetz. The reverse totally caught TMB off guard, and Mathiowetz raced 79 yards down the left sideline and into the end zone to tie the game. Like the Panthers, SEU failed on the two-point conversion, leaving the score tied at 6 with 8:51 left in the first quarter.
“We got on the board first then give them that quick return — that was such a momentum swing, and we just didn’t react to that very well until later,” said Kruse.
On its next drive, TMB failed to convert on a 4th-and-5 near midfield, giving the ball back to SEU, and they went to work behind bruising back Keeyan Netzke, who ran it five straight times and finished the drive off with a 3-yard run for a 12-6 SEU lead. Netzke also carried it in on the conversion to put SEU up 14-6.
Later in the quarter, TMB went three-andout, giving the ball back to SEU with just under 2 minutes left in the first half. The Netzke show resumed shortly after that, highlighted by a 38yard jaunt down to the TMB 12. Netzke was shaken up on the play and had to temporarily leave the game, but that didn’t slow the SEU momentum too much, and three plays after Netzke went out, quarterback Brayden Heiderscheidt connected with Gavin Fischer on a 7-yard scoring pass for a 20-6 lead with just :41 left in the first half.
The second half didn’t start well for the visitors, as SEU failed on a 4th-and-1 attempt, but Sanow fumbled three plays into the Panthers’ ensuring possession, squashing any momentum TMB had gained — but just for a moment. The Panthers got the ball right back on a Xiong interception, but yet another turnover — this time, a fumble by the sure-handed Griffin Zick — gave the ball right back to SEU.
The Panther defense stepped up again and forced a punt, and the Panther offense started to show some life. A few big runs from David Schuh, including a 21-yard gainer brought the ball inside the red zone, and TMB cut its deficit to 20-12 when Zick caught a tipped Jackson Kruse pass in the end zone. The two-point conversion failed again, but TMB was now within striking distance entering the fourth quarter.
“I thought we came out and played a heck of a second half,” Kruse said. “We just had some plays that didn’t go our way when we had chances to really get back in it.”
The two teams traded punts before SEU’s ground game continued to punish TMB. A 22yard pass was sandwiched between 11 running plays as SEU churned its way down the field, milking the clock in the process. That 22-yard pass from Heiderscheidt to Uecker came on 4thand-2 and all but sealed the game, and Netkze, battered but still a factor in the second half, put the game away with a 6-yard touchdown run.
The Panthers were able to put together a late drive that started with 3:05 left on the clock and got down to the SEU 14, but their third fumble, this one by Schuh, ended their hopes for a comeback.
Other than a few nice plays here and there, the Panther offense was a shell of itself against SEU. Coming into the game, TMB had averaged just over 500 yards per game in wins over KMS and BOLD, showing balance and efficiency. Neither was on display Tuesday, however, as the Panthers were held to under 100 rushing yards for just the third time this season.
“The way they were playing us, it was just hard to get the running game going,” Kruse said. “We were really struggling moving things forward on the ground, so we kind of had to go early to the passing game. There was times it worked, but we just had too much pressure on us. It was not the game plan, but it was what we had to adjust to.”
Sanow and Schuh had 49 and 41 rush yards, respectively; Zick had four grabs for 71 yards and the touchdown, and Xiong and Kruse both had two catches. Defensively, Zick and Talon Brinkley both had 10 solo tackles, and Brinkley had five tackles for loss. Trenton Johnson had the lone TMB sack for a 9-yard loss.
• Five two-way seniors played their final game in a Panther football uniform on Tuesday, and Kruse shared his thoughts on them during his post-game radio interview: David Schuh: “The great thing about him is, he didn’t care about not getting the ball. He just wanted to find a way for us to win a game no matter what. He was a great leader for us, offense and defense. It’s going to be a struggle for our quarterbacks next year not having him next to them because he knows the offense better than anybody. And it was the same on defense.”
Griffin Zick: “He was a back when he was a sophomore, and we told him to just stay out there as a receiver because you’re really good at it. He makes all the plays; I don’t know how sometimes, because he’s not the biggest or fastest. He just makes plays. When the ball is in the air, I just know he’s going to catch that ball. Another great leader for us.”
Connor Lanoue: “He had a great season. He really learned how to run routes, and he got a little taller the last year. He was able to make some plays on the outside that our other guys couldn’t because we don’t have any other height. He did a great job at corner for us, too. He’s a great kid and great football player.”
Lawton Verlinde: “Lawton was a fantastic leader for us, especially early in the year when we had guys out. He kept us together and really worked hard to be the best lineman out there and also helped the other guys along. He’s one of the reasons at the end of the year our offensive line was as good as it was. He was tough on defense especially as a run-stopper, as a big, physical kid.”
Sy Sanders: “Sy worked as hard as anybody in the weight room. He is a weight room guy that turned himself into a football player. He had some raw talent when he was younger, he just didn’t know what he would tun into. He loved being out there and competing. He had a great senior year; he is one of the guys that started both ways as a junior and a senior.”
