Panthers get close twice, can't catch West Liberty

By Pete Temple

Express Sports Editor

     Those who enjoy momentum shifts with their football must have been more than satisfied with the Monticello-West Liberty game Friday, Sept. 24 in West Liberty.

     Monticello rallied twice from 20-point deficits to get back within six points, but in the end West Liberty held on for a 41-35 victory.

     It dropped the Panthers to 1-1 in district play, 3-2 overall. Monticello is now a game behind district leaders Camanche and Northeast-Goose Lake.

     The Panthers outgained WL 406 to 371, but a blocked punt that went for a Comets’ touchdown and a kickoff return for another score were among the factors that tilted the outcome West Liberty’s way.

     The first surge of momentum Friday came in the first two minutes, when West Liberty’s Jahsiah Galvan (you’ll be seeing his name often in this story) blocked a Monticello punt. After a scramble for the loose ball, Caleb Wulf of the Comets scooped it up and ran in for a score from 10 yards out.

     The Panthers gained their own bit of momentum when Lucas Bartachek recovered a West Liberty fumble at the Comets’ 14. Four plays later, Rylan Cooper ran in for a four-yard touchdown, and the game was tied at 7-7 after Christian Castillo’s extra point.

     It shifted back to the Comets on the first play from scrimmage after that, when Galvan duked his way to a 67-yard touchdown run and a 14-7 West Liberty lead, with still 6:20 to go in the first quarter.

     After a Panther punt, the Comets put together the longest drive of the game, 86 yards in 17 plays. It took the clock from 4:16 left in the first quarter to 5:09 in the second, before Galvan scored on a two-yard run. An errant snap foiled the extra point attempt, but the Comets led 20-7.

     West Liberty appeared in control when it drove 67 yards in just four plays, scoring on a nine-yard run with 1:47 left in the half. The Comets took a 27-7 lead at halftime.

     “We were not ready to play in the first half,” Monticello coach Wes Wilson said. “That ultimately falls on me as the head coach, and I have to do a better job making sure we are ready to play from the opening kickoff.”

     Two developments early in the second half started to tilt the pendulum Monticello’s way. First, the Panther defense stopped West Liberty at the Monticello 10-yard line, and a field goal try sailed wide left.

     Then, the Panthers zipped 80 yards in six plays, scoring on a 27-yard pass from Preston Ries to Tate Petersen and making the score 27-14.

     More momentum shifts. Galvan then returned the Panther kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown, and the Comets again had a three-score lead at 34-14 with 4:44 left in the third quarter.

     Monticello wasn’t done. After the teams traded punts, the Panthers went 66 yards in seven plays, scoring on a 10-yard run by Cooper, and cutting the deficit to 34-21.

     Caleb Sauser later returned a West Liberty punt 35 yards to the Comets’ 38, and five plays later Sauser scored on a nine-yard run. Castillo’s kick made it a six-point game, 34-28, with 7:58 still to play.

     “I am very proud of our effort in the second half,” Wilson said. “That is the team effort we want to see for 48 minutes every night out.”

     West Liberty mounted a key drive after that, going 59 yards in nine plays and knocking almost five minutes off the clock. The Comets scored when Galvan lined up at quarterback and passed to Joshua Zeman on a 15-yard play. WL led 41-28 with 2:55 to go.

     Monticello battled back again, this time quickly. A triple pitchout in the backfield put the ball back in Ries’ hands, and he launched a pass to Peyton Schilling for a 43-yard gain to the West Liberty 5. Ries ran it in from three-yards out two plays later, and again the Panthers were within one score, 41-35, with 2:01 to play.

     An onside kick attempt was recovered by the Panthers, but on a close play, officials ruled the ball was illegally touched before it had traveled 10 yards, so West Liberty was awarded the ball at the Panthers’ 49.

     Monticello forced a punt and got the ball back at its 7 with 1:18 to play and one more chance to steal the game away, but an interception took away its last hopes.

     For the Comets, Galvan finished with 206 rushing yards and two touchdowns, threw for another score, had the kickoff return for a touchdown and blocked a punt.

     Monticello’s Ries finished with 269 yards passing and 101 yards rushing. Petersen wound up with 10 catches for 114 yards.

At Camanche Friday

     The Panthers play at Camanche (2-0, 3-2)Friday in a game that might have big district race implications.

     “Camanche has some very good skill guys, and it all starts with the quarterback, Delzell,” Wilson said. “They play an aggressive defense that can give you fits with their blitzes.

     Still, the coach said, “We have a lot of confidence in our team. One game or half is not going to define us. We still control our destiny in terms of the district race.”

Sept. 24

(at West Liberty)

Monti       7     0    7  21 – 35

W. Lib.   14    13   7    7  – 41

SCORING SUMMARY

FIRST QUARTER

     WL – Wult 10 blocked punt return (Martinez kick), 10:23.

     Monti – Cooper 4 run (Castillo kick), 6:42.

     WL – Galvan 67 run (Martinez kick), 6:20.

SECOND QUARTER

     WL – Galvan 2 run (run failed), 5:09.

     WL – Collins 1 run (Martinez kick), 1:47.

THIRD QUARTER

     Monti – Petersen 27 pass from Ries (Castillo kick), 4:59.

     WL – Galvan 83 kickoff return, 4:44.

FOURTH QUARTER

     Monti – Cooper 10 run (Castillo kick), 11:06.

     Monti – Ca. Sauser 9 run (Castillo kick), 7:58.

     WL – Zeman 15 pass from Galvan (Martinez kick), 2:55.

     Monti – Ries 3 run (Castillo kick), 2:01.

TEAM STATISTICS

                             Monti          WL

First downs           14               13

Rushing yds.        137             306

Passing yds.         269             65

Comp.-att.-int    17-28-1        6-7-0

Total yds.              406            371

Fumbles lost          0                 1

Penalties-yds.      8-44        12-110

MONTICELLO STATISTICS

     Rushing – Ries 24-101, Cooper 7-27, Sauser 1-9.

     Passing – Ries 17-28-269-1-1.

     Receiving – Petersen 10-114, Sauser 2-73, Schilling 3-68, Weber 2-14.

     Fumble recovery – Bartachek.