By Ryan Atkinson
sports@joplinglobe.com
PITTSBURG, Kan. — You can blame what you want — first-game jitters, a jacked-up Southeast defense or a combination. Whatever the culprit, the St. Mary’s-Colgan offense was flat in the first quarter Thursday night.
The rest of the game, well, that’s another story.
The Panthers scored three times in the second quarter and three more times in the third, running away with a 39-0 victory against the Southeast Lancers at Hutchinson Field.
“You know, it didn’t totally surprise me for us to come out a little slow,” Colgan coach Chuck Smith said. “It’s the first game, and Southeast was playing tough on defense, so I can understand that. But I sure was glad to see us get it going.”
And get it going they did.
After a sloppy first quarter that had the two teams combine for three punts, two interceptions and a fumble, the Panthers went to work.
Colgan senior running back Tino King ran the ball four straight times, chewing up 40 yards and setting up quarterback Kenny Wachter’s 2-yard plunge that made it 7-0.
The Panther defense then came up with a turnover, knocking the ball out of Southeast running back Zack Dainty’s hands and recovering it at their own 27.
Three plays later, Wachter hooked up with senior Evan VanBecelaere for a 55-yard touchdown that gave Colgan a 14-0 lead. The Southeast defender made an aggressive play on the ball but came up with nothing, giving VanBecelaere an easy road to the end zone.
“I couldn’t see the ball because (the defender) had his hand in front of it,” said VanBecelaere, who accounted for all four of Wachter’s completions, totaling 69 yards. “Then the ball just kind of popped out of nowhere, and luckily I was able to grab it and stay on my feet.”
VanBecelaere’s touchdown seemed to start a slow deflation of Southeast’s sails, but it was the Colgan defense that tore those sails to pieces.
Just three plays later, junior linebacker Seth Soper stepped in front of a Toby Ulery pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown.
“I thought the momentum kind of started going our way after that second touchdown, and then after Seth ran that back, you could really feel the game change,” Smith said. “That right there may have been the biggest play of the night.”
The Panthers opened up the second half with a five-play, 56-yard drive that was capped by King’s 19-yard touchdown run. King finished the night with 159 yards on 15 carries, including three carries for 38 yards on that third-quarter drive.
“The line was giving me huge holes to run through tonight,” King said. “They kind of made my job easy.”
Junior Chas Smith added a 48-yard run, and Wachter hooked up with VanBecelaere again, this time on a fade pattern from two yards out, to make it 39-0.
The Lancers nearly scored on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Ulery dropped back on a play-action pass and hit a wide-open Nick Renfro, who had to break stride and then bobbled the ball before catching it. The play turned into a 30-yard gain but could have been much more.
“If that ball is not just a bit underthrown and if (Renfro) doesn’t bobble it, we start the game up 7-0,” Southeast coach Bryan Burdette said. “There were a couple other things, some calls that should have gone our way, that could have made it a different game early on.”
The Panthers travel to Erie next Friday night while Southeast heads to Frontenac.
Sports
Related Photos
Discussion
Colgan shuts out Southeast in opener
Panthers roll to 39-0 victory
- Sports
-
-
Kickapoo girls race past Joplin
Annie Armstrong poured in 21 points to lead the Kickapoo girls to a 65-28 victory over Joplin on Thursday night in an Ozark Conference basketball game at Missouri Southern’s Young Gymnasium.
-
Cheever is ultimate blue-collar snowboarder
As a World Cup snowboardcross racer, Jonathan Cheever has taken his share of spills over the years.
-
District wrestling tournaments begin tonight
Neosho’s wrestling lineup will have a different look when the Class 3 district wrestling tournament begins at 6 p.m. today at Carthage.
-
Late board work carries Lions past Pittsburg State
Pittsburg State displayed its offensive rebounding muscle during Wednesday night’s game at Missouri Southern.
-
Pitching holds key for softball Lions
Pitching is the main question Missouri Southern must answer as the Lions open their softball season today in Abilene, Texas.
-
Quapaw completes 12-0 run through Lucky '7' Conference
Quapaw High School girls basketball coach Rod Graves expected the 2011-12 Wildcats to compile another successful season.
They haven’t been a disappointment. -
Hillsdale women stop OCC
Visiting Hillsdale Free Will Baptist handed Ozark Christian a 68-47 loss in women’s college basketball on Thursday night.
-
Tomlin, Steelers welcome Haley as new coordinator
Throughout the 16 minutes that followed him glowingly introducing former Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley as his new offensive coordinator, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stood proudly in the corner of the second-floor media room at the team’s facility.
-
Rangers, Cruz strike $16M, 2-year deal
Two-time defending AL champion Texas has avoided arbitration with another of its core players, agreeing Thursday to a $16 million, two-year contract with AL championship series MVP Nelson Cruz.
-
Auburn’s Ward adapts game after injury at Texas
Auburn’s Varez Ward can’t take to the air quite like he used to. The onetime Texas starter is still trying to regain strength and explosiveness more than two years after rupturing his right quadriceps tendon while dunking during pre-game warmups.
- More Sports Headlines
-
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Expert: Removing LA School's Staff 'Appropriate'
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
