Great Job boys and Coach Paul Worth
Panthers grind out 21-6 win
The backfield tandem of junior Bryce Dobosz and senior Josh Baker ran for 266 of the team’s 275 rushing yards as the Panthers made short work of independent foe McCann Vocational Technical School, 21-6, in Northfield Saturday afternoon.
“It felt great to be out there,” Dobosz (24 carries, 193 yards) said of his first game since returning from injury. “I was getting a lot of carries and got a little tired, but the line blocked great and I tried to hit the hole hard.”
That was clearly evident by Pioneer’s first offensive series, which saw Dobosz generate 45 of his team’s 60 yards in a 12-play drive which chewed over five minutes off the clock and ended with an Alex Tyson (five carries, 9 yards) 1-yard quarterback sneak for the touchdown. Wyatt Keith hit the first of his three-extra point kicks on the day to make the score 7-0.
It was also the start of a good day in the pocket for Tyson, who went 5-for-10 passing for 93 yards and did a solid job executing what was clearly an effective game plan offensively.
Pioneer’s defense was also equal to the task, holding McCann to 67 yards rushing, just 17 of which occurred in an offensively lackluster first half. The Hornets also suffered a blow, losing starting quarterback Mike Ferrara to injury in the second quarter, effectively eliminating McCann’s passing attack for the remainder of the contest.
Pioneer extended the lead when Baker ran it in from 3 yards out with just 35 seconds left in the second quarter. A Keith extra-point kick made the score 14-0 Panthers going into the break.
“Alex and Bryce were solid for sure, but Josh ran the trap very well today, especially in that first half,” said Pioneer coach Paul Worth. “When he runs north and south, he’s tough to stop.”
McCann appeared to mount a semblance of a comeback in the third quarter, when a Baker fumble gave them the ball back at the Pioneer 47. From there, the Hornets generated their best drive of the day, marching 53 yards on 11 plays before Corbin Richardson (11 carries, 47 yards) scored on a 6-yard touchdown run. The highlights of the drive were a pair of 8-yard, fourth-and-long Richardson runs to keep the ball in Hornet hands.
The McCann extra-point kick sailed wide left, keeping the score 21-6. McCann got another chance to tie the score on the next series, but the threat ended on a Dobosz interception, which the Pioneer offense turned into an insurance score four plays later, a Dobosz 1-yard tote.
McCann went three-and-out on the next series, which gave Pioneer the ball back on the Panther 40. Tyson and Co. once again methodically moved the ball downfield, getting as close as the 5 when Worth, in a show of class and sportsmanship, chose instead to have his quarterback take two knees to end the game.
“We had a game plan and the kids executed it,” Worth said. “They understood what had to be done and did it. As a coaching staff, that’s what we are most proud of.”
Pioneer welcomes Ware to town Saturday for a game which could have postseason implications for both teams. Kickoff is at 1 pm.
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