(Atlantic) Briley Hayes scored five touchdowns to lead Creston to a 49-19 win over Atlantic on Friday night at Atlantic. The Panther’s dominant rushing attack and stingy defense steered the visitors to victory.
The Panthers rushed for 304 yards, led by Hayes 16-carries for 155 yards, and passed for 111-yards. The running game proved to be one key factor in the win; the other key was Creston’s ability to stop the run, holding the Trojans to 23 rushing yards.
The Trojans turned to the aerial attack and reached some success. Caleb Andersen completed 16-29 passes of 285 yards and three touchdowns. Colton Rasmussen caught five passes for 159-yards and two touchdowns to lead the Trojan’s offense. Andersen targeted Carter Pellett for a 26-yard TD strike.
Creston took advantage of a Trojan turnover midway through the first quarter. The Panthers pounced on a fumble at the Trojans 11-yard line, and moments later, Briley Hayes burst through for an 11-TD carry.
The Trojans chewed up nearly four minutes off the clock with a nine-play drive that stalled at their 47-yard line. Gannon O’Hara fired off a 44-yard punt to the Creston’s 24-yard marker. Hayes broke loose again and capped a long drive with a 24-yard run with 9:52 to go in the second quarter and a 14-0 lead.
The Trojans kept battling and appeared to gain momentum when they cut the lead in half with 1:35 to play in the second stanza. Caden Andersen’s 14-yard touchdown strike to Rasmussen, followed by Nelson’s point after brought the home team back within striking distance, 14-7. The Panthers answered with a methodical drive to the Atlantic three-yard line. Hayes capped the drive with a 3-yard TD run, and the visitors led 21-7 at the break.
Creston broke the game open in the third quarter with three touchdowns. Hayes scored on a pair of three-yard runs and fired a 42-yard TD strike to TE Derek Paup to push the lead to 42-7. Backup running back Will Bollinger raced 49-yards to pay dirt early in the 4th quarter and a 49-7 lead.
Despite the steep mountain to climb. The Trojans kept plugging away. Andersen connected with Rasmussen on a 77-yard TD catch and run, and Andersen fired a missile to Carter Pellett for another touchdown with 1:27 left t to play, to end the scoring at 49-19.
The Panthers end the regular season at 6-3 and 3-2 in district play. Atlantic ends the season with a 2-3 district record and 3-6 overall.
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