Big plays sink Panthers

The three chapters of Friday’s season opener are so different, it’s hard to believe they all occurred in the same 48 minutes.

Clarinda dominated the first quarter, taking a 14-0 lead. Creston seized the momentum in the second quarter to lead 21-14 late in the period. Then, Clarinda scored late in the first half and shut out the Panthers the rest of the night.

The end result was a 35-21 non-district win by a veteran Class 2A Clarinda squad over a Creston team inexperienced on defense and learning to operate on offense without last year’s 1,600-yard rusher (Weston Trapp).

But, despite facing an early 14-0 deficit on two touchdown marches by the Cardinals, sandwiching a Panther passing turnover, Creston suddenly seized the momentum for nearly the entire second quarter.

Big second quarter

The Panthers scored 21 points in a five-minute span starting at the 10:01 mark of the second period. Riggins Hanson recovered a Clarinda fumble on a kickoff to set up the drive ending in Tanner Ray’s touchdown run to make it 21-14.

Hoping for a defensive stop to take a seven-point lead into halftime, it was suddenly a 21-21 deadlock with 33 seconds to play. Kaiden Roop caught a swing pass to the left from Noah Harris, evaded a tackler and streaked down the sideline for a 29-yard touchdown.

That play, and a 74-yard run late in the third quarter by Harris, made the difference as Creston went scoreless in the second half. All the momentum from the second quarter had been regained by a Cardinal squad that returns nine starters on both offense and defense from a 6-3 team in 2024.

“Giving up the big play at the end of the second quarter, with less than 40 seconds left, and the big play at the end of the third quarter were the difference in us being right with a good football team at the end,” Morrison said. “At the end of the half we were in cover two, it should have been a dead play, and they scored. The yards we gave up after contact tonight wasn’t good.”

Both teams showed effective rushing attacks, although Clarinda’s was more sustained as sophomore Baylor Hash finished with 220 yards and two touchdowns. Harris completed 11 of 15 passes for 128 yards and one TD.

Quarterback Tanner Ray fueled part of Creston’s second-quarter rushing success Friday, finished with 131 yards on the ground while completing 16 of 21 passes for 126 yards. Running back Jackson Pettegrew ran in the first two Panther touchdowns on direct snaps in short yardage. Pettegrew finished with 48 yards and freshman Gabe Kaufman showed promise in gaining 41 yards on five carries.

Late defensive stand

A defensive stand by the Cardinals proved critical in the third quarter while nursing a 28-21 lead. Seth Gordon’s kick return allowed the Panthers to start a drive at their own 43. Blazek carried it 23 yards to the Cardinal 23. The Panthers got to the 2-yard line on second-and-goal.

A fourth-down incompletion on a rollout pass to the right side against good defensive coverage by the Cardinal secondary turned possession over to Clarinda.

That proved to be Creston’s last serious threat into the Clarinda red zone. Safety Davin Wallace scooped up a Clarinda fumble near the Panther end zone, leaving the Panthers in possession down two scores with 4:14 to play.

Jordan Butt’s interception on a middle screen ended the Panther comeback hopes in the 35-21 final. The Panthers played on even terms after the early 14-0 deficit.

“Those first two drives of the game we weren’t good on detail against the run in getting the ball spilled to the outside,” Morrison said. “That makes it tough for the safeties when they are gashing up the middle, running downhill at full speed. We just weren’t disciplined. We’re a young team and we’ll learn from this.”

Winterset, Creston’s opponent this week at Panther Field, also dropped Friday’s opener, 45-20, to ADM.

Clarinda 35, Creston 21

Points by quarter

Clar 14 7 14 0 — 35

Cr 0 21 0 0 — 21

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

Clar — Connor Luzmoor 1 run (Lukas DeAnda kick), 8:55

Clar — Baylor Hash 9 run (DeAnda kick), 3:31

Second Quarter

Cr — Jackson Pettegrew 1 run (Joaquin Flores kick), 10:01

Cr — Pettegrew 2 run (Flores kick), 7:04

Cr — Tanner Ray 12 run (Flores kick), 5:05

Clar — Kaiden Roop 29 pass from Noah Harris (DeAnda kick), 0:33

Third Quarter

Clar — Hash 21 run (DeAnda kick), 7:09

Clar — Harris 74 run (DeAnda kick), 0:00

Fourth Quarter

None

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TEAM STATISTICS

CLAR CR

Rushes-yards 37-319 39-217

Passing 11-15-1 16-22-2

Passing yards 128 126

Total yards 447 343

Punts-avg. 0-0 1-37.0

Fumbles lost 2 0

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — CR: Tanner Ray 19-131, 1 TD; Jackson Pettegrew 15-48, 2 TD; Gabe Kaufman 5-41. CLAR: Baylor Hash 26-220, 2 TD; Noah Harris 7-91, 1 TD; Connor Luzmoor 3-8, 1 TD; Kaiden Roop 1-4.

PASSING — CR: Ray 16-21-2 for 126 yards; Rhett Driskell 0-1-0. CLAR: Harris 11-15-1 for 128 yards, 1 TD.

RECEIVING — CR: Driskell 6-46, Jace Purdum 5-44, Seth Gordon 2-18, Pettegrew 2-14, Riggins Hanson 1-4. CLAR: Kayden Hawley 7-74; Kaiden Roop 3-43, 1 TD; Warner Schmitt 1-11.

TACKLE LEADERS (total-solo) — CR: Davin Wallace 5.0-3, Kal Barber 5.0-1, Cason Scarberry 4.0-3; Colby Brammer 4.0-4; Lane Travis 4.0-2; Blake Hayes 4.0-2; Ethan Holliday 3.5-3; Brodrick Phelps 2.0-1; Coltyr Frey 2.0-1; Tom Mikkelsen 2.0-1, Jose Avila 1.5-1. CLAR: Baylor Hash 9.5-7; Kayden Hawley 8.0-7; Sam Kline 6.5-4.

INTERCEPTIONS — CR: Cason Scarberry 1. CLAR: Ryan Wagoner 1, Jordan Butt 1.

FUMBLE RECOVERIES — CR: Riggins Hanson 1, Davin Wallace 1.

TACKLES FOR LOSS — CR: None. CLAR: Kline 1.5, Butt 1.5, Calhoon 1.0, Luzmoor 1.0, Hash 0.5, Wake 0.5.

SACKS — None.