PENALTY WIPES OUT LATE GO-AHEAD TD AS TMB FALLS TO MCC, 23-22
The TMB/MCC helmet trophy was there for the taking Friday night in Slayton, but it was the Panthers who felt they had something taken from them.
A fourth-quarter Jackson Kruse touchdown run that would have put the Panthers ahead with under 2 minutes left was taken away because of a controversial TMB penalty, and the Rebels were able to drain the clock after keeping the Panthers out of the end zone on the ensuing play in a 23-22 conference loss that left the TMB coaches beside themselves.
“I thought we won the game,” Panther coach Ryan Kruse said. “We made the play to win the game … the penalty got called, but I told the guys we won that game.”
The loss was the Panthers’ fourth in a row, but this one saw the Panthers not only rally from an early 14-point deficit, but enjoy a lead for the first time since the third quarter of their Sept. 25 loss to Sleepy Eye United. However, things weren’t pretty in the first quarter.
The Panthers had things going on their first possession, marching down to the MCC 15yard line, but the Rebel defense stiffened and picked off a Kruse pass in the end zone. The Rebels then flexed their offensive muscle again, churning down the field as they are known to do with their strong run game. A 16-play drive that included just two pass attempts resulted in a Carson Lewis touchdown run and a 6-0 lead.
Things got worse for TMB on the ensuing kickoff when the Rebels pooched the kick and recovered at the 40. Lewis then scored again to put MCC ahead 14-0. The Rebels tried another pooch kickoff and once again recovered the live ball, but this time, MCC was turned away when Aiden Sanow reached high to pick off a Finn Schneider pass.
That’s when the tied turned in favor of TMB. The Panthers weren’t able to convert the turnover into points, but held MCC on a 4thand-1 to regain control at the Rebels’ 20. After an incomplete pass, Nolan Verlinde burst up the middle through the MCC defensive line for a 20-yard score to get TMB on the board. It was Verlinde’s first touchdown of the year.
“It took him a while to get going this year and find some of those holes,” Kruse said. “He really is running the ball well the last three games compared to his first three games. That’s what sets up a big play for Jackson; when you’re able to hammer it twice in a row with Nolan, the end comes down and Jackson can go around. That really gets our offense going.” Now playing with momentum, TMB got the ball back, and Kruse hit receiver Ty Yackley for gains of 12, 8 and 40 yards to set the Panthers up at the MCC 4. Kruse would then run it in to pull the Panthers to within 15-14 with :39 left in the first half. Kruse ran in the two-point conversion, giving TMB its first lead since it was up 20-19 in the third quarter against SEU.
The second half started well for the Panthers when Brody Hauger sacked Schneider on a 4th-and-10 play on the first drive of the half. TMB failed to score on the next possession, but that play was a microcosm of the Panther defense in the second half.
“I was super happy with our defense,” Kruse said. “After the first quarter, we gave up just one more score the rest of the game.”
TMB’s defense bent a little on the Rebels’ next drive, but stood strong and forced a field goal attempt that was missed to keep the score at 16-15.
Then things got weird. TMB did nothing with the ensuing possession deep in their own end and were forced to punt. The kick was partially blocked, and the ball was recovered by Braden Morgan. After a lengthy discussion by the officials, the ball was awarded to TMB at the MCC 31 with under 30 seconds left in a quick third quarter.
“Since we touched it behind the line of scrimmage, it’s not a penalty … if you pick it up and run for a first down, it’s a legal play,” coach Kruse said. “I don’t even know if it was right; both refs called it that way so …” The Panthers took advantage of the break, and Kruse made it 22-15 with a 36-yard run. The bad news was that the all-important two-point conversion failed, leaving TMB’s lead at seven at 22-15.
It didn’t take long for the Rebels to respond, and Lewis made it 22-21 with another touchdown run. Lewis ran in the two-point try for what would turn out to be the game-winning points.
But were they?
Undaunted, the Panthers took possession for their final drive at their own 40. A 15yard pass to Emery Xiong on the seventh play of the drive brought TMB to the MCC 40. The Panthers got down to the MCC 15 with about 2 minutes to go and seemed to have regained the lead when Kruse scampered into the end zone with 1:20 left.
Enter more controversy. TMB was flagged for an illegal block, bringing the ball back to the 18. Two incomplete passes later, and the game was over, leaving frustrated TMB fans and coaches in disappointed disbelief.
“For three quarters, we were the better team,” coach Kruse said. “(MCC) is a good team, so I feel really good about it, and I want the players to feel good about it. It’s not going to show up as a win, but I want them to know they did what they needed to do to win the game.”
Kruse finished with 123 rush yards and 91 yards through the air, and Verlinde had 51 yards on the ground. Yackley’s three receptions totaled 60 yards, and Xiong had two catches for 25 yards.
On defense, Hauger had a team-high eight tackles and the sack; Verlinde had seven; Xiong had six; and Kruse and Sanow each had five. As a team, TMB had seven tackles for loss — Yackley, Carson Lanonue, Verlinde, Kruse, Braeden Connor, Hauger and Ryker Freeburg.
Since the Headlight publishes on Thursday, results of this Wednesday’s game against KMS will be published in the Oct. 22 edition.
The Panthers’ regularseason finalé against BOLD is Tuesday, Oct. 20. Section playoffs begin Oct. 27.
