Panthers route Kiel
by Greg Ceilley of The Review staff
PLYMOUTH – Head coach Dan Knaus called it the best overall performance of the season for his Plymouth football team after the Panthers’ convincing 35-7 win over Kiel Friday night at Finke Field.
The Panthers, who ran their winning streak to four, dominated the line of scrimmage on offense and defense with tenacious, physical football.
“It was a great performance. It was probably the best we’ve played this season in all facets of the game,” said Knaus.
“We played our assignments and were physical. We won the battles [up front].”
“We played really strong,” said junior running back Luke Ohman who rushed for a game-high 80 yards off the bench.
“The offensive line impressed me. We had a great shutdown defense.”
Ohman, stepped in for starting tailback Hayden Potts who went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter and didn’t return. Ohman, a 170-pounder, ran like a 200-pound sledgehammer as he broke several tackles and dragged defenders on numerous carries.
“Our offensive line played very tough and our backs ran hard,” Knaus said.
PHS upped its Eastern Wisconsin Conference record to 3-0 (4-1 overall) and is tied for first with Kewaskum. The Raiders dropped to 0-3 in the EWC (2-3 overall).
The Panthers cashed in on two botched punt attempts by Kiel to jump out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The first touchdown was set up when the punter mishandled the snap and Plymouth’s Jake Meinnert recovered the ball at the Raider 27-yard line. Panther fullback Ian Murray scored on a 1-yard plunge.
A bad punt snap led to the Panthers’ second TD as it gave them the ball at the Kiel 12. Potts slammed into the end zone from the 3. The Raiders’ starting long snapper was out with an injury.
Tomie Roberson ran the ensuing kickoff back 66 yards to the PHS 10 to give the Raiders a much-needed lift. The Panthers’ defense held on fourth down and 1 when the Raider quarterback fumbled the snap.
The Panthers then marched 97 yards for a score to deflate Kiel and go up 21-0. Murray climaxed the drive with a 2-yard TD run at the 6:33 mark in the second quarter. Senior quarterback Jon Criter ignited the series with 46 yards rushing, highlighted by a 24-yard burst.
“The goal-line stand was huge,” Knaus pointed out. “We kept our momentum.”
“It was a huge turning point,” said Raider head coach Chris Bennin. “If we would’ve scored there, it would’ve been a whole different game.
“They were just more physical than us at the line of scrimmage. They outplayed us in all aspects of the game.”
Defensive back Pat Leick’s 54-yard interception return to the Kiel 34 set up the Panthers’ fourth TD of the opening half. Criter hit wideout Mitch Unger over the middle for a 10-yard score and PHS had a 28-0 halftime lead.
The Panthers allowed only 12 yards rushing and 85 total yards. “We were physical all night,” said Murray, an inside linebacker. “We made a statement. We played great offense and defense.”
| FOOTBALL
| | |
| KIEL | | 7 | |
| PLYMOUTH | | | |
| | 35 | |
| First downs | ...3 | 14 | |
| Rushing Yards………………....12 | | 211 |
| Passing Yards | ..73 | 73 | |
| Comp-Att-Int………………..5-17-1 | 7-14-1 | |
| Penalties-Yards | 2-10 | 3-30 | |
| Punts-Averages | . -- | -- | |
| Fumbles-Lost………………….…1-0 | | 1-1 |
| Kiel………………….…………0 | 0 0 7 – | 7 |
| Plymouth………………….14 14 7 0 – 35 | |
Kiel Ply Score by Quarters Scoring Ply – Ian Murray 1 run (Ross Heginbottom kick) Ply – Hayden Potts 3 run (Heginbottom kick) Ply – Murray 2 run (Heginbottom kick) Ply – Mitch Unger 10 pass from Jon Criter (Heginbottom kick) Ply – Luke Ohman 5 run (Heginbottom kick) Kiel – Dwayne Hagenow 24 pass from Geddy Norby (Brandon Riesterer kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing – Kiel, Derek Fritsch 6-22. Plymouth, Jon Criter 4-47, Luke Ohman 13-80, Hayden Potts 14-52. Passing – Kiel, Geddy Norby 6-14-1-61. Plymouth, Criter 7-14-1-73. Receiving – Plymouth, Mitch Unger 4-3_8_._________________________
