RTR MAKES IT 3 STRAIGHT OVERTHE PANTHERS — 18-8 IN SECTION QUARTERFINALS
The RTR Knights continued to have the Panthers’ number Tuesday, as they defeated TMB for the second time this year, 18-8, in the first round of the Section 3A quarterfinals in Tyler.
Panther players and coaches consoled each other on the field after the game, as eight seniors walked off a high school field for the last time as players.
“That’s the toughest part of this job,” TMB coach Ryan Kruse said. “You see them every day for so long for four years; you’re not really expecting it to be over and all of a sudden the game is over and you’ll never coach them again. I’ll have some of them in basketball, but it’s not the same.”
What was the same on this night was the Panthers’ continued struggles against a stout RTR defense. For the second straight game against the Knights, TMB (4-5) was able to score just once; RTR beat TMB 35-8 on Oct. 2. Last year, the Panthers were shut out in Tyler.
“We just couldn’t get a consistent run game going,” Kruse said of Tuesday’s game. “We’d get a couple yards and be third-and-six, then have to make a play in the passing game. We just weren’t able to do it. They press those outside receivers, and the inside guys, we didn’t do a good job getting the ball to.”
TMB punted on its first two possessions Tuesday, gaining just a total of 4 yards. The Panthers put together a nice 10-play drive on their third possession before turning the ball over on downs.
The Knights scored on their second possession, but the TMB defense didn’t make things easy for them, Ty Yackley had an early interception, to thwart one RTR drive, but RTR was able to build a 12-0 second-quarter lead on a short scoring run by Brayden Chandler.
Down by two scores in the third quarter, TMB appeared to get some momentum on its side after a big 25-yard pass from Jackson Kruse to Aiden Sanow. This came after the Panthers held RTR on 4th-and-1 at the TMB 2-yard line. TMB, however, would turn the ball over on downs.
TMB LINEMAN BRODY HAUGER got a rare chance to run the ball after recovering an RTR fumble during Tuesday’s Section 3A quarterfinal game in Tyler.
TMB ASSISTANT COACH DEREK ASHBAUGH consoles Emery Xiong after Tuesday’s seasonending loss.
TMB BACK NOLAN VERLINDE looks for room after taking a handoff against the Knights in the first half of Tuesday’s Section 3A quarterfinal game in Tyler.
A Lane Wichmann 21-yard touchdown reception would put the Knights up 18-0 with 3:38 left in the third.
Later in the fourth quarter, Kruse connected with Braden Morgan for the Panthers’ longest play — a 35-yard completion, but TMB couldn’t capitalize on that play, and the drive ended when Chandler sacked Kruse for a 5-yard loss.
“We had chances … all those chances we missed, you have to get those because they’re not going to give you much,” Kruse said.
TMB finally got into the end zone when Kruse ran it in from 3 yards out. Kruse ran in the two-point conversion to make it 18-8, but it was too little, to late as the Panthers saw their season come to an end.
“It’s just really tough,” coach Kruse said. “They put so much time into this for four years; I just feel so bad for them that it’s over for them.”
Kruse threw for 169 yards, but was sacked three times, as he was often under constant pressure from the RTR defense.
On defense, Carson Lanoue and Nolan Verlinde were all over the field, both collecting seven tackles, including two tackles for a loss. Kruse and Ryker Freeburg both had five tackles for a TMB defense that did everything it could — including forcing four turnovers — to keep the Panthers in the game.
TY YACKLEY gets some nice blocking from Braden Morgan (1) and Jackson Kruse on a first-half kickoff return during Tuesday’s Section 3A quarterfinal loss to the RTR Knights. Photo / Per Peterson
