Matching up with Smoky Valley for the first time since 2009, the Concordia High School football team picked up their second victory of the year in the final home game of the year on Senior Night with an 18-14 win over the Vikings.
Smoky Valley received the opening kick to start the game and did everything they could to control the game, taking over 10 minutes off the game clock on the opening drive, but the Panther defense stood strong and forced a fumble to get the ball deep in their own territory. The first quarter concluded with the score being 0-0.
Concordia drove down the field, and Jett Flax hit Liam McNutt for a 50-yard touchdown to make it 6-0 Panthers with 9:06 left in the half. The Vikings responded immediately, scoring on the first play of the following drive to take the lead, 8-6. A quick Panther three-and-out forced a punt, but the Panthers forced a turnover on downs in return. On a fourth-down attempt at the Vikings' 19-yard line, Flax hit Kale Schroeder for the touchdown to retake the lead, 12-8, with 3:52 left in the half. Both offenses stalled out, but Smoky Valley got a break and forced a fumble that they returned for a touchdown to make it 14-12 right before halftime.
The third quarter opened with strong defense, opening with a pair of punts, but Concordia got the offense rolling first, driving the ball 51 yards, capped by a 25-yard run by Braytin Hake for a touchdown, to take the lead 18-14 with 3:23 to go in the third quarter. The Vikings got the ball down the field and got to the 15-yard line, but a turnover on downs to end the third quarter gave the ball back to Concordia.
Smoky Valley tried to tie the game, but Concordia would bleed the clock and hinder the Vikings' offense in the fourth quarter. After a third-down conversion with 2:14 to go, the Panthers ran out the clock and were able to celebrate the Senior Night win with an 18-14 victory.
Flax went 13-for-20 passing for 200 yards and two touchdowns; Schroeder went 2-for-3 passing for 28 yards. Hake had 130 yards rushing on 21 carries with a touchdown; Ryker Wildeman had 40 yards on eight carries; Schroeder had nine yards on two carries. McNutt had 128 yards receiving on six catches with a touchdown; Schroeder had 78 yards on seven catches with a touchdown; Wildeman had 19 yards on one catch; Hake had three yards on one catch.
Jerrik Williams led in tackles with 11, two for losses; Hake had nine; Wideman had six; Brooks Kindscher had five; Schroeder had four; Zackarie Stovall, Landen Jorgensen, Koehn Williams, and Theodore Cody all had combined for four tackles for loss; Daniel Kemling, Grayson Palmgren, Matthew Naillieux, and McNutt all had two; Martin Lesslie and Kasey Pearson each had one. Stovall and Jorgensen had a sack.
