Mike Helfvogt (6) and two others bring down an I-G running back.
By John Dalton
Second-quarter mistakes proved costly Friday night as Pec/Argyle opened Six Rivers Conference play with a 42-12 loss at Iowa-Grant.
PA started strong, taking the opening kickoff and driving for a touchdown. Quarterback Martin Anderson rolled left to extend the play, then found Brock Erickson down the middle for a 40-yard touchdown pass and a 6-0 lead.
Iowa-Grant answered with 34 straight points before PA scored again midway through the fourth quarter. On the Panthers’ first possession, quarterback Brock Hinderman led a scoring drive and threw a fiveyard touchdown pass to Hayden Aultman. His two-point conversion pass to lineman Jack Whitaker gave Iowa-Grant an 8-6 lead.
PA’s second-quarter mistakes shifted the momentum: a lost fumble, a blocked punt and a crucial interception on a late scoring attempt.
Following the blocked punt, the Panthers had excellent field position deep into PA territory. Hinderman found Aultman again for a quick score increasing their lead to 14-6. Late in the second quarter, PA was driving when Anderson targeted Bo Statler near the goal line, but Hinderman read the play and intercepted the pass at the Panthers’ 5-yard line. Hinderman then moved Iowa-Grant downfield with his arm and legs before finding Ty Cutts for a 20-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone with 2.2 seconds remaining, giving the Panthers a 20-6 halftime lead and momentum.
“We honestly moved the ball pretty well, but the blocked punt, a fumble and a red zone pick all defeated our own momentum. A score instead of a pick in the red zone potentially puts us up at half instead of giving up a
quick one with the turnover and going into half with no momentum,” said Pec/Argyle head coach Preston Knutson following the game.
Iowa-Grant carried its momentum into the second half. Hinderman capped a sustained third-quarter drive with a short touchdown run up the middle, then found Cole Schauff for the two-point conversion to give the Panthers a 28-6 lead midway through the quarter. After the Panther defense stopped PA again, Hinderman drove Iowa-Grant to another score, faking a handoff and rolling left for a 10-yard touchdown run that extended the lead to 34-6.
But PA continued to battle in the fourth quarter, as Anderson rolled right and connected with Luke Leonard for a 25-yard touchdown. Anderson finished 8 of 16 passing for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 12 times for 55 yards. Leonard led PA with two receptions and 67 yards.
Later in the fourth quarter, Hinderman added a short touchdown run and the two-point conversion to seal a 42-12 victory. He completed 21 of 32 passes for 215 yards and rushed for 99 yards, while Landon Friesen led the Panthers with eight catches for 117 yards.
Despite the loss, PA coach Knutson’s team is 2-1 as they prepare this week for Saturday’s homecoming game against Wauzeka- Stueben/Seneca. “Short term memory! We learn and we move on. If we get to playing mistake free ball, we can compete with anyone. This game showed we have a ways to go. We came out firing, but we have to reduce self-inflicted issues. We had some penalty issues the week before that we overcame but that gets tougher to do week in and week out. Good teams will take advantage of
mistakes and that’s exactly what happened!”
Saturday’s Homecoming game against Wauzeka-Stueben/Seneca (0- 1,1-2) begins at 2:00 p.m. at McKellar Park in Blanchardville and Knutson expects a good game. “I expect a physical one. A game where you either stay competitive in conference or you start staring at a bigger hill to climb.”
