By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Great Bend knows how to put on a fireworks show. Word on the sideline prior to Great Bend’s sectional (state quarterfinal) rematch against Hays was that a fireworks extravaganza was planned. But first, the top-ranked Panthers had to beat their rivals. A goal-line stand in the final minute sealed Great Bend’s place in next week’s state semifinal game against Salina Central as the Panthers survived with a 29-22 win.
“You just try to focus one at a time and this was a big one,” said Panther coach Erin Beck. “We knew it would be. We knew it was probably inevitable we were going to see them at some point. It was a great rematch between two good teams. To get past that one and into the semifinals is quite an accomplishment. These kids need to enjoy and celebrate.”
Hays endured many penalties in the game, but none was more consequential than a seemingly minor infraction on a punt that gave the Panthers the ball near midfield. Great Bend made the decision to play the down over. Senior Trenton Kern blocked the punt, which resulted in a safety and a 16-14 lead early in the third quarter.
Great Bend kept things rolling on the ensuing possession as senior Daxton Minton found senior Ian Premer in the corner of the end zone for a 21-yard strike. Freshman Giovanni Cruz punched through a crucial point-after for a 24-13 lead with 55 ticks remaining in the third.
Then the Panther defense made a pair of season-saving stops. The first halted a long Hays drive inside the 5-yard line. But Great Bend bobbled the next snap and the Indians recovered the ball at the 1-yard line. Two plays later, junior Braxton Basgall scored from yard out. The Indians converted a 2-point try for a 23-22 score with 5:35 to play.
Great Bend answered quickly. Facing third-and-seven, Minton threw a perfect ball over the middle to junior Cooper Ohnmacht in stride. The result was a 51-yard touchdown and 29-22 Panther lead with just four minutes left in regulation.
“We saw in the first half that they were overplaying Ian a little bit,” Beck said. “We got trips and ran Ian on a little speed-out, and it left Cooper one-on-one. Daxton made a great throw to him and changed the scoreboard pretty quickly.”
But the Indians refused to lie down. After blocking the PAT to keep the deficit at 29-22, Hays marched all the way inside the Great Bend 10-yard line with plenty of time to find the end zone. Instead, the Panther defense made three consecutive stops to force fourth-and-four with 30 seconds left. Senior quarterback Zane Viegra was able to extend the play and appeared to have a received in the end zone, but Panther senior Koehn Ribordy stepped in to break it up.
“You just knew they were going to put the ball in a playmaker’s hands and have the two-way go whether he could run it or throw it,” said Beck. “I thought our kids did a great job of staying home. We set (Jacob Hall) on the edge to give them a little extra pressure. The defense bowed up when we needed.
“After making some uncharacteristic mistakes that had us holding our breath a little bit -after getting the score and the blocked PAT, you just knew if Hays was going to score that thing, they were going for two and the win. I’m just very proud of the way our kids played winning football down the stretch.”
The Panthers endured a battle all night. Premer ran 31 yards on the first Great Bend possession for a quick 7-0 lead, but Hays got a 22-yard touchdown pass from Viegra to senior Jarek Purdy to level the score.
With time waning in the first half, Great Bend faced fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Minton was able to find Ohnmacht for the touchdown and a 14-7 Panther lead with just 52 seconds left in the half.
With no timeouts, Hays got a 39-yard run from Holden Lind. With eight seconds to play in the second quarter, Viegra found Lind in the back corner of the end zone for a 14-14 halftime score.
“It was tough,” Beck said. “We had to rally the troops a little bit and make sure they understood there’s a whole half of football left because that was a huge momentum swing they stole after us scoring right before the half. The way our kids kept their composure at halftime, you could kind of feel they’d be alright. But it was an unbelievable game. Tip your hat to Hays; that was a great game plan. It was a battle between two really good football teams.”
Lind rushed for 204 yards on 34 carries in his final prep game for Hays. Viegra threw for 87 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 9-of-15 passing, though he only completed two passes for 14 yards in the second half.
Minton, the all-time leader in touchdown passes at GBHS, had reverted to the run game the last two weeks. Friday, he threw for 153 yards and three scores on 13-of-17 passing. He rushed for another 72 yards on 12 carries. Premer was kept in check with 76 yards on eight carries, but added 82 receiving yards on six receptions. Ohnmacht added the two big touchdowns to finish with 71 yards on his seven catches.
Great Bend moves to 11-0 on the season and will host No. 2 Salina Central (10-1) in next Friday’s state semifinal game.