Cyclones drop close battle to Panthers
Sometimes a game can come down to one call, and that certainly proved to be the case Friday night for the HCHS Cyclones football team against the Creston Panthers with a controversial call in the fourth quarter losing a close 43-42 battle losing their third game.
The Panthers scored first with just over eight minutes remaining in the first quarter when Sophomore quarterback Tanner Ray handed off to Senior Weston Trapp who went for a 72-yard touchdown run putting his team up 6-0. Sophomore Joaquin Flores added the extra point.
However, when the Cyclones offense took the field, it didn’t take long for them to respond when Junior quarterback Gabe Arkfeld found Senior Jozef Reisz for a 68-yard touchdown reception getting his team right back in the game. Senior kicker Nolan Schwery tied the game at seven with the extra point.
“Those guys were battling and battling hard,” said Cyclone Head Coach Todd Bladt. “It’s nice when you get to a player of that caliber. We probably needed to mix it around a little bit more and open it up, but it was tough with what we were restricted with.”
A few plays later, Arkfeld found Reisz again on 1st and 10 for a 12-yard touchdown reception giving the Cyclones their first lead of the night at 13-7. Schwery added the extra point.
When the second quarter began the Panthers offense able to respond when on a 2nd and goal, Trapp went for a 3-yard touchdown run putting his team down 14-13. Flores was unable to come up with the extra point as his kick was blocked keeping his team down by one.
Later on in the quarter, Arkfeld got more guys involved when on a 4th and 7, they came up with a first down as Senior Bryce Van Baale got the offense down to the 13-yard line after receiving a pass from Arkfeld. A few plays later, Arkfeld handed off to Sophomore Brody Bendorf for a 3-yard touchdown run expanding their lead to 20-13. Schwery kicked the extra point.
When the Panthers returned to offense, two Cyclones came up with big stops in Junior Hagen Sorensen and Senior Ben Leinen.
“We’ve got to have guys step up, and they made some plays, but in the end, we didn’t make enough plays,” Bladt said. “That comes down to the simplicity of football, which is blocking, tackling, throwing, and running. We’re going to test the boys this week and go from there.”
A few plays later, on a 2nd and 8, Trapp went for a 42-yard touchdown run approaching halftime, which he followed up with a 2-point conversion to tie the game at 21. However, on the very next kick return, Senior Cyclone Spencer Fink received the ball and ran for 95-yards to the end zone, immediately giving his team back the lead. Schwery added the extra point giving the Cyclones a 28-21 lead at the half.
“That was a time where he really hit it hard,” Bladt said of Fink. “That’s what we try to preach on the kickoff return and I was proud of him for responding in that moment for sure.”
When the third quarter began, a few plays in, with the Panther offense on a 2nd and 10, Senior Cyclone Hayden Soma recovered a fumble. The Cyclones took advantage of that opportunity making their way downfield getting themselves to a 1st and goal. On the next play, Arkfeld handed off to Bendorf who went for a 6-yard touchdown run widening the Cyclone lead to 34-21. Schwery added the extra point.
Despite being down, the Panthers continued to fight back and were able to do so on the next possession when they got to a 1st and goal and Trapp scored on a 4-yard touchdown run, followed by another 2-point conversion, putting his team down 35-29.
As the third quarter was winding down with just under four minutes to play, on a 2nd and 6, Arkfeld found Junior Dallas McDowell for a 21-yard touchdown catch and run putting his team up 41-29. Schwery added the extra point.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Panther offense once again made some noise when Trapp had another touchdown run, this time going for 18 yards, putting his team back within a touchdown at 42-35. The Panthers attempted a 2-point conversion following Trapp’s touchdown, but were unsuccessful keeping the game at seven points.
Later on in the quarter approaching the midway point, a pass from Arkfeld to Van Baale that was dropped by Van Baale was ruled a fumble recovered by the Panthers rather than an incomplete pass, giving the Panthers new life. Trapp came up with a 36-yard touchdown run putting his team down 42-41, but followed it up with a 2-point conversion, giving his team a 2-point lead, which would be the final score of the night.
With this loss, the Cyclones move to 2-3 on the season. They return to action Friday night on the road at 7 p.m. against the 2-3 Perry Bluejays. They defeated Perry last season 49-7 Sept. 29 at home during homecoming. Offensively, the Bluejays are led by Senior Geren Kenney with 271 passing yards and 254 rushing yards, and Junior Gustavo Drahos has 137 receiving yards. Defensively, Senior Jorge Ramirez has 22.5 tackles.
“We’re going to have a tough week at practice here, see who can tackle in live space, and get after it,” Bladt said. “Those are the guys we are going to put on the field.”