No. 2 Pioneer scores 20 unanswered points to beat Cass
· Yahoo Sports
WALTON — Pioneer completed a stunning comeback in a 20-15 win over Lewis Cass on Friday night at Owens Memorial Field.
The Class 1A No. 2 Panthers fell into a 15-0 hole and at the time things were looking dire for them.
Visit zeppelin.cool for more information.
But they were able to turn the game around, starting with a score right before halftime. And they dominated the second half to complete the turnaround.
“As coaches, we weren’t upset. We weren’t mad at halftime,” Pioneer coach Adam Berry said. “We went in there and said, ‘guys, we have a lot of new guys here. Fifteen points wasn’t gonna win us the game. We told them that in the locker room. We said, ‘Defense, go out, get a stop. Offense, we’re gonna go score.’ And that’s what happened.
“We lost a great senior class. We have a lot of guys that this was essentially their first varsity experience. Not just starting, but varsity experience. We knew there was gonna be some bumps. We settled in, made plays when we had to against the great Lewis Cass team.”
The Panthers were stopped just short of a first down on fourth-down plays in Cass territory on their first two drives.
Meanwhile, the Kings scored on their first two drives. On fourth-and-three, Connyr Mack scored from 16 yards out. Eli Grist carried several defenders into the end zone on the 2-point try to make it 8-0 with 11:54 left in the second quarter.
A 49-yard pass on third-and-eight from Cole Rush to Nate Packard set up the Kings’ second score. Rush found Mack open in the flat for a 7-yard TD pass. Tyler Foley Grist’s kick made it 15-0 with 4:35 left in the half.
The Panthers embarked on a 61-yard drive to get them back in the game before the hal. Braxton Maciejewski’s 3-yard TD run made it 15-6 with 34 seconds left. Hunter Sellers blocked Phillip McFatridge’s PAT attempt and Cass took a 9-point lead into the break.
The second half was all Pioneer. The Panthers held the Kings to just one first down over the final two quarters.
Disaster struck for the Kings when they were held to a three-and-out to start the second half and the snap went sailing over the punter’s head, setting up Pioneer at the Cass 9-yard line. Soon afterwards freshman Colton Popejoy scored from 1-yard out and his 2-point pass to Gage Lakes made it 15-14 with 9:26 left in the third.
The Panthers forced two more three-and-outs. Their final scoring drive took up the final 2:36 of the third and first 5:08 of the fourth. Popejoy scrambled for 19 yards on third-and-11 to get the drive started. Sellers stuffed a QB sneak on third-and-2. On fourth-and-2 from the Pioneer 46-yard line, Popejoy found Lakes open in the left flat for 8 yards. On fourth-and-3 from the Cass 26, Popejoy evaded a sack and found Maciejewski for a 7-yard gain. Maciejewski ran it in from 2 yards out with 6:52 remaining. The 2-point run was stopped and Pioneer led 20-15.
The Kings were stopped on their final two possessions. Blu Rosen-Jacks applied pressure that forced an incompletion on fourth-and-6. Mikaden Tolosa recorded a sack on the Kings’ final possession that set up a fourth-and-25 when a desperation pass sailed incomplete.
The Panthers held the Kings to seven yards rushing on 12 attempts and 0 of 8 passing in the second half.
“Our defense in the second half showed what they were doing all practice,” Berry said. “The thing about Week 1, we basically have three weeks to prepare. They prepare for us, we prepare for them. Our guys in the first half, I just don’t think we’re getting to their spots at the snap, and I don’t think we were reading our keys. They settled in. They made plays when they had to and a great win.”
The Panthers forced the Kings to be one-dimensional in the second half and their pass rush made an impact.
“It’s probably one of our quicker D lines we’ve had in a long time,” Berry said. “Starting with Mikaden, all-state player, veteran back there. Wyatt Wiles, who showed in the postseason scout team practice that he has a speed. Blu Rosen-Jacks had adversity but was able to come back. Collin Frye.
“Jason Gluth, who’s been getting reps and didn’t play last year, came in, got that huge wish it was an interception, but goes down as a PBU and a huge play. So we just had guys step up. That pass rush was great and stepped up when we needed to.”
Popejoy made winning plays in his varsity debut. His first ever pass was a 42-yard strike to McFatridge.
Popejoy was 7 of 12 passing for 80 yards. He added 46 yards rushing on nine attempts and a TD.
“He loves football,” Berry said. “He’s a competitor and he showed tonight he is a competitor. Hard running yards.”
On the fourth-and-3 conversion in the fourth quarter, Berry said, “Our defense coordinator said, ‘Hey, they’re probably gonna blitz their outside linebacker.’ And they did. And I don’t know how he fought him off, but he found Maciejewski in the flat. Huge first down. He made plays all night, a big pass to Gage Lakes early on who had to fill in for Shiloh (Rine). Phillip doing his thing. We just couldn’t be prouder of these guys and this win.”
Maciejewski rushed for 55 yards and two TDs on 14 carries. McFatridge had 40 yards on 11 attempts and added four receptions for 62 yards.
The Panthers made their comeback with their best player on the sideline. Rine took a shot to the hip on his final run, a three-yard gain, late in the first quarter. He rushed for 14 yards on just four attempts.
“He’s a competitor. He wanted to go back in,” Berry said. “He did go back in and realized he couldn’t. So obviously we hope he’s there for Knox. But if not, he’s our leader. We need him healthy. So we’re gonna take it day by day, week by week.”
Colten Long led the defense with 11 tackles and a forced fumble. Tolosa had 10 tackles and 2.5 tackles for a loss. Rosen-Jacks had seven tackles and a fumble recovery.
Pioneer stays on the road and travels to Knox Friday.