By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The Great Bend High School football team turned things around last season, going from 19-straight losses over three seasons to a seven-game win streak and playoff run. Friday night, the Panthers carried that momentum forward, winning their first season opener since 2019 with a 29-16 against McPherson on the new turf at Memorial Stadium.
“It just feels great for these kids,” said Panther coach Erin Beck. “This has been one we’ve wanted for a long time. Since we started this thing in the summer, our focus has been to beat Mac just because they have such a good program, such a great coaching staff. Their kids always play so hard. For our kids to come out here and play the way they did, I’m just so proud of them as kids and as a team. I feel the sky is the limit for this group right now.”
It was all Great Bend early on. After a defensive stop, sophomore quarterback Daxton Minton put the Panthers on the board with a 43-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Ian Premer. Freshman Cooper Ohnmacht returned an interception 80 yards for a 14-0 Panther lead eight minutes into the contest.
McPherson fought back with 43 snaps in the first half compared to just 16 for Great Bend. Senior quarterback Owen Fetsch completed a pair of touchdown passes but a blocked PAT kept the Panthers ahead 14-13.
Great Bend was heading for another score late in the first half. Senior Cody Miller was nearly in the end zone when McPherson senior Teegan Haines punched the ball out. The score remained 14-13 at the intermission.
The Panther defense shut things down in the final two quarters. Bullpup senior Blaise Hoover booted through a 46-yard field goal for a short-lived McPherson lead, but Great Bend held Fetsch to just 24 passing yards in the final two quarters, and sophomore Keaton Crane rushed for 61 yards in the first half but only 20 in the second.
“I’m super proud of our defense,” said Beck. “I thought our defense played exceptional tonight. To be on the field as much as they were, especially that first half. Excluding that last drive where we fumbled, I think we had 15 snaps before that drive. That’s tough. That’s a lot of stress on a defense. When you get a defensive score, that happens.”
Facing fourth-and-eight, the Panthers took the lead for good on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Minton to sophomore Jacob Hall. Premer nearly took an interception the distance. Despite the short field, Great Bend milked three minutes off the clock before Minton found senior Colton Brack for a 2-yard insurance score with 6:41 to play in the game. Minton threw for 161 yards and three touchdowns on 11-of-20 passing in his big debut.
“Twelve is a football player,” Beck said. “You saw it tonight. He grew up right before our eyes during the course of the game, understanding some of his reads, understanding the defense and when it’s time to take a shot and when to be smart and check it down. I’m very proud of the way he played tonight.”
Miller ran the ball 20 times for 80 yards. Premer caught three passes for 70 yards and a score. Miller caught three passes for 28 yards, Hall had two receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown, and Brack caught two balls for 17 yards and a score.
Hays defeated Junction City in overtime in week one. That sets up a battle between a pair of 1-0 rivals as Great Bend travels to Hays next Friday.