By Jamie Arthur
sports@joplinglobe.com
PITTSBURG, Kan. — St. Mary’s-Colgan head coach Chuck Smith wasn’t sure that the Panthers had the experience necessary to pull off a win in Thursday night’s southeast Kansas Kickoff Classic against Girard at Hutchinson Field.
Even after the Panthers proved they were up to the challenge, defeating a more experienced Girard team 33-12, he admitted that some of those doubts were still there.
“I’ll have those feelings all year long,” Smith said. “These are just young kids and they’re going to make mistakes and hopefully we’ll get better week after week. But anytime we beat Girard we feel real good about it.”
The Panthers wasted no time showing why they were tabbed as the team to beat in the CNC League coaches’ preseason poll as they won their 54th consecutive conference game. The last time Colgan suffered a league loss was in 1999 when Girard beat the Panthers 22-7 in the season opener.
Despite losing 14 seniors from last year’s state runner-up team, the Panthers managed a convincing win over a Girard team guided by first-year head coach Leon Miller.
Midway through the first quarter it was Colgan that struck first. Following an interception by Chas Smith, the Panthers found themselves in Trojan territory. Two plays later, on a quarterback keeper, Smith ran 32 yards up the middle for the touchdown. Girard’s Johnny Webb blocked the first of three missed extra points by the Panthers.
Then, with just over a minute left in the first quarter, Smith scored on another keeper from 15 yards out. Despite a high snap on the extra point, Aaron Snow was able to salvage the play as he hit Jesse Watt for the 2-point conversion.
Smith’s first aerial touchdown of the year, an 18-yarder to Stuart Jeck, gave the Panthers a 20-0 advantage over the Trojans.
The Trojans fought back on their next series as Darian Kelly broke free of the Panther defense for a 67-yard scoring run, cutting the Panthers’ lead to 20-6.
“They did have a couple of nice touchdown drives,” Coach Smith said. “They ran that veer and ran it well. I felt real good at 20-0 but then they came back and made it a ballgame.”
Girard scored only once more, squandering several opportunities in the second half. After quarterback Taylor Woods carried the ball 35 yards to put the Trojans within reach of the goal line, Woods scored on a 3-yard run at the 7:53 mark in the third quarter.
The Panthers reached the end zone twice in second half. Running back Austin Riggs carried the ball in from 23 yards late in the third quarter, making the score 27-12 as the Panthers knocked in their only extra point of the night. The final score came as Smith hit Jeck again with 1:04 remaining in the game.
Smith, the fourth of Coach Smith’s sons to start at quarterback, finished the night 13-of-20 through the air for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 143 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries.
Jeck pulled in seven receptions for a game-high 123 yards including two scores.
Kelly, who’s given a verbal commitment to Kansas, led the Trojans with a game-high rushing total of 168 yards, including a 67-yard scoring run, on 16 carries.
Girard 0 6 6 0—12
St. Mary’s-Colgan 14 6 6 6—33
SMC—Chas Smith 32 run (kick blocked)
SMC—Smith 15 run (Jesse Watt pass from Aaron Snow)
SMC—Stuart Jeck 18 pass from Smith (kick blocked)
Gir—Darian Kelly 67 run (kick blocked)
Gir—Taylor Woods 3 run (run failed)
SMC—Austin Riggs 23 run (Nick Whetzell kick)
SMC—Jeck pass from Smith (kick blocked)
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Inexperienced Panthers dominate in Kickoff Classic
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