Panthers control Oelwein 38-6 in two-day contest

     A football game that took two days to complete was also a dominant performance for the Monticello Panthers, who scored 22 points on Friday and 16 on Saturday to defeat Oelwein 38-6 at Dean Nelson Field.

     In so doing, the Panthers climbed back over the .500 mark for the season, at 4-3, including a Class 2A, District 4 record of 2-3.

     Jacob Manternach completed 15 of 25 passes for 221 and three touchdowns, all to Gavin Cooper, who had six catches for 122 yards. Meanwhile, the Panther defense held Oelwein to just 33 rushing yards and 142 total, and didn’t allow a score until the final play of the game.

     “It’s a good confidence booster for the guys to come out and dominate from start to finish,” Monticello coach Wes Wilson said. “It was important to jump out to a good lead early, and maintain that for the whole game.”

     Monticello’s longest drive Friday actually produced no points. The Panthers started on their 35-yard line, and the drive lasted 16 plays, but they were stopped on downs at the Oelwein 16. A short punt after Oelwein’s first possession gave Monticello the ball at the Huskies’ 16, and four plays later, Jacob Manternach hit Gavin Cooper on a 12-yard touchdown pass.

     The 6-0 lead held up until Monticello’s second possession, which started late in the first quarter and covered 70 yards in 10 plays, with Manternach scoring on a three-yard run. A two-point conversion run by Kirklen Kiburz made it 14-0 for the Panthers.

     Oelwein marched as far as the 17, but a fumble and a sack forced the Huskies to turn the ball over on downs. The Panthers then went 68 yards in 15 plays, scoring on a one-yard run by Lake Stahlberg. Kiburz scored on another two-point run, and Monticello led 22-0 with 27.0 seconds left in the half.

     At that point, there was lightning in the area, so the game was stopped for a lightning delay. With heavy rain about to move in, the decision was made to halt the game for the night, and resume it at 11 a.m. Saturday.

     The Panthers came back Saturday and scored twice in the third quarter, both on passes to Gavin Cooper, covering 17 and seven yards. Monticello led 35-0 after three quarters.

     “The kids did a nice job,” Wilson said. “They came back the next day and were ready to finish the job.”

     In the final period, Monticello drove to the Oelwein 15, and Gavin Holub kicked a 32-yard field goal with 5:11 to play.

     Oelwein came back and drove in for a score on the final play of the game, an 18-yard pass from Dillon Arndt to Dominique Robertson. Because the clock had expired, no extra point was attempted, and the Panthers had the victory.

     Clayton Kraus led the team in tackles with 8.5, including five tackles-for-loss. Lake Stahlberg had 6.5 tackles.

     “I am really pleased with how the defense has been playing,” Wilson said. “Coach (Jon) Kyte has made some really good adjustments the last few weeks, and the guys are playing a lot faster on defense.”

At Beckman Friday

     Monticello will play at Dyersville Beckman (2-3, 3-4) Friday, Oct. 13.

     “Beckman is a good football team,” Wilson said. “They are not flashy, but they are good at what they do. They have very good size and team speed. They have an experienced quarterback who makes plays with his feet and arm.”

Oct. 6

Oelwein   0    0     0   6  –     6

Monti        6  16  13   3  –  38

SCORING SUMMARY

FIRST QUARTER

    Monti – Cooper 12 pass from Manternach (run failed), 3:21 remaining.

SECOND QUARTER

    Monti – Manternach 3 run (Kiburz run), 10:56.

    Monti – Stahlberg 1 run (Kiburz run), 0:27.0.

THIRD QUARTER

    Monti – Cooper 17 pass from Manternach (kick failed), time not available.

    Monti – Cooper 7 pass from Manternach (Holub kick), 1:54.

FOURTH QUARTER

    Monti – Holub 32 field goal, 5:11.

    Oel – Robertson 18 pass from Arndt (no conversion), 0:00.

TEAM STATISTICS

                                  Oel     Monti

Rushing yds.            33       174

Passing yds.           109       221

Comp.-att.-int.  11-16-0 15-25-0

Total yds.                 142       395

Penalties                 3-25      9-75

Fumbles lost             1            0

MONTICELLO STATISTICS

     Rushing – Manternach 18-93, Keleher 8-51, Stahlberg 3-12, Brokaw 3-10, Bowser 2-8.

     Passing – Manternach 15-25-221-3-0.

     Receiving – Cooper 6-122, Mescher 4-53, Kraus 4-34, Eastburn 1-12.

     Fumble recovery – Henderson.

     Tackles – C. Kraus 8.5, Stahlberg 6.5, Mescher 5.5, Manternach 5, Luensman 4, Cooper 3.5, Wallerich 3, Henderson 2.5, Rieniets 2.5, Bowser 2, Holub 2, Kiburz 1.5, Kuper 1.5.

     Tackles-for-loss – C. Kraus 5, Mescher 1.5, Stahlberg 1, Wallerich 1, Holub 0.5.