Landon Friesen hauls in one of his interceptions. David Friesen photo.
After last week’s loss to River Ridge, the Iowa-Grant Panthers regrouped and overcame a slow start by scoring 34 points in the second quarter of a 48-0 home shutout of Boscobel on Friday night. Iowa- Grant, River Ridge, Black Hawk/Warren, and Potosi/Cassville are tied atop the Six Rivers Conference at 4-1.
Iowa-Grant Head Coach Hayden Link said he was pleased with the Panthers’ performance against the Bulldogs. He said the team responded well after being humbled by River Ridge’s strong offense the previous week and remained focused throughout the week.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Panthers broke through less than a minute into the second. Landon Friesen intercepted a pass and returned it deep into Boscobel territory, then Cole Schauff scored on a nine-yard run.
The Panthers then forced a threeand-out, and Friesen returned the punt to the nine-yard line. Two plays later, Schauff scored again on a run to the right. Brock Hinderman’s conversion pass to Ty Cutts gave Iowa-Grant a 14-0 lead.
Friesen intercepted another pass at midfield on Boscobel’s next possession. On the following play, Hinderman raced 50 yards around left end for a touchdown. With just under three minutes remaining in the half, Hinderman connected with Friesen for a 35-yard touchdown. The Panthers struck again just before halftime when Hinderman intercepted a pass deep in Boscobel territory and returned it for a score, extending the lead to 34-0.
“We got off to a slow start, mainly because of our youth in key areas. We recovered well in the 2nd quarter. We ran for nearly 300 yards. Certainly, more than we’ve ever done in my tenure. I’m very proud of that. The O-line and the entire running back room really showed up,” said Link.
Two more touchdowns in the third quarter rounded out the scoring for the Panthers as they blew out the Bulldogs. On the first play from scrimmage to start the third quarter, Cole Schauff took it to the house for a 67-yard touchdown run, and later in the quarter, Hinderman found Hayden Aultman in the corner of the end zone on an 18-yard touchdown pass.
The Panther defense was difficult to run or pass against as the Bulldogs rarely were able to get into Panther territory. “Ty Cutts’ and Colton Williams’ performance really stands out in my mind, along with a few key plays from Big E, Brayden Shemak, and John’Rell Rickard. Those guys hit hard and I think scared Boscobel’s QB a bit from leaving the pocket, although I give him credit, he is a TOUGH athlete!” said Link about some of his defensive guys.
Hinderman was seven of twelve passing the ball with two touchdowns. Cole Schauff led Iowa- Grant on the ground with seven
attempts for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Friesen caught three balls for 47 yards and a touchdown. Colton Williams led the Panthers on defense with 9 tackles.
The 4-1 Panthers (5-2 overall) will travel to 3-2 Riverdale (4-3 overall) Friday night in a conference game and Coach Link is expecting their best.
“Riverdale is spreading it out a little more than we’ve seen in the past, but I’ll tell you, our eyes will be locked into whatever Landon Kinyon and Bevyn Dennis are up to, no matter what formation they line up in. We know they pack a nice one-two punch with the stout linemen they have so we have quite a bit to prepare for.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
