(Knoxville) Atlantic rolled up 585 yards of Offense and picked up a road win over Knoxville, 39 – 13 on Friday night.
Sophomore quarterback Tristan Hayes, thrust into action for the injured veteran Caden Andersen, completed 9-14 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns. Junior receiver Colton Rasmussen caught all four touchdown passes and finished with five catches for 175 yards. Atlantic junior running back Dante Hedrington, behind a solid performance by his offense line, carried the ball 29-times for a career-high 180 yards and one touchdown.
The Trojans scored three straight touchdowns and led 18-0 lead early in the second quarter. Hayes threw two touchdown strikes to Colton Rasmussen for 44 and 32 yards in the first quarter. Tanner O’Brien burst off tackle and scurried 51-yards to pay dirt for an 18-0 advantage.
Knoxville countered with Noah Keefer’s 51-yard touchdown run and closed the gap to 18-7. The Trojans responded with a late first-half drive directed by Hayes in uptempo fashion and rifled a 34-yard pass to Rasmussen to push the Trojans lead to 26-7 at the break.
Knoxville’s offense kicked into gear early in the second half with a 14-play 66-yard drive, capped off by Noah Keefer’s 11-yard pass to Koby Higginbotham. That score cut the deficit in half, 26-13, after the failed two-point conversion.
However, the Trojans defense stiffened, and Atlantic polished off the game with two fourth-quarter scores; one a 54-yard pass to Rasmussen, the other a three-yard burst by Dante Hedrington to close the deal 39-13.
The Trojans posted their highest rushing total of the season of 360-yards on 51 carries. Besides Hedrington’s 180 yards, Tanner O’Brien carried the ball nine times for 116-yards.
The Panthers had 207 yards of offense, 103 rushing, and 104 yards passing.
Atlantic moves to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the district with a home date against Saydel next Friday night and a week nine contest with Creston. Knoxville falls to 1-6 and 0-3 in district action.
