By Nick Johnson
DHI Media Correspondent
sports@timesbulletin.com
VERSAILLES
— The Parkway Panthers travelled to H. B. Hole field at Versailles High
School to take on the Tigers in week seven Midwest Athletic football
action on Friday night. The Tigers picked up a 42-20 victory of Parkway.
The
Tigers wasted no time getting on the score board as Jared Niekamp found
Jace Barga on a 65 yard touchdown pass to open up the scoring with 9:47
left in the first quarter. A bad hold by Barga on the point-after
forced him to throw up a pass to Collin Peters for the 2-point
conversion, 8-0 Versailles.
The Panthers got the offense working
on their second drive of the night, as Justin Barna found Sage Dugan for
an 8-yard gain to set up fourth-and-one. Barna called his own number
and picked up four yards for the first down. After Barna misfired on
first and second down, the sophomore signal caller found a streaking
Ryan Lautzenheiser for a 67-yard touchdown pass with 7:25 left in the
first quarter. Parkway went for two to tie the game and Barna found Kris
Gangwer for the conversion.
The next Versailles drive started off
differently as the Tigers fed Peters the ball for four straight runs
for a net of 16 yards. On a third-and-three, Niekamp went to the air for
his second pass of the night this on a 40-yard completion for a
touchdown to Corey Dieringer with 4:23 left in the first period. Zach
Steinbrunner added the point-after to make the score 15-8.
On
Parkway second drive of the second period, Barna found Lautzenheiser for
a 40-yard pass and catch. The Tiger defense held strong after that play
and forced a punt.
Versailles’ Peters broke the century mark on
the ground with a 50-yard dash down the field with less than three
minutes left in the half. The Tigers found the end zone with just 16
second left in the period when Niekamp found Kyle Marchal from 2-yards
out for a touchdown. Steinbrunner added the point after and the score
was 22-8 at half.
On the Tigers second drive of the third quarter,
Versailles got a 34-yard run from Peters to put them in the red zone.
Two plays later, Niekamp was picked off in the end zone by Lautzenheiser
who return the ball across midfield.
Parkway turn the
interception into points when on the next play, Barna scramble for 47
yards for the Panthers touchdown with 8:32 left in the third. The
two-point try was unsuccessful and Versailles had a 22-14 lead.
The
Tigers answered with a eight-play, 56-yard drive that featured seven
Peters runs. The last of those went for a 2-yard score, giving
Versailles a 29-14 lead after the extra point.
Parkway got a big
play to end the third quarter when Barna found Lautzenheiser deep for a
30-yard hook up. The Panthers would later turn the ball over, however,
Versailles turn that interception into points with an 18-yard run by
Peters for a touchdown.
One drive later the Tigers would add
another score when Andrew Schmitt carried the ball for a 15-yard
touchdown to bring the score to 42-14 with 5:44 left in the game.
The
final Parkway drive chewed up what was left of the fourth quarter
clock, and was finished off with a Barna 1-yard touchdown to bring the
game to the final score of 42-20.
“Justin Barna, we put him back
in the starting quarterback spot and he did a good job. Running the ball
he did a good job, standing there taking some hits, and delivering the
ball down field. I thought offensively we kind of woke up tonight. I
know the score doesn’t show it, but I feel like it was a closer game. I
thought we were right in this game slugging away with these guys,” said
Parkway coach Dan Cairns.