BOWIE, Texas — When Windthorst and Bells clashed at Jackrabbit Stadium in the opening round last season, it too was a close game, until the Trojans took advantage of multiple turnovers in the fourth to run away with a 35-13 win.
In the rematch however, it was a close contest from start to finish — with a lot more offense — with an interception in the endzone by Koy Pennartz ending the Panthers hopes of a late second miracle, and guiding Windthorst to a 46-42 win.
“Last play, there were four seconds left on the clock, so I knew they were going to have to pass the ball,” recalled the senior star. “So I played a little bit deeper and floated to the middle, and it just fell into my hands.”
Photo: Blake Wood/TexasHSFootball.com
Pennartz started off the scoring for Windthorst as well with a 10 yard run, the first of three touchdowns on the night. Shortly after the first score however, Bells answered back with a one yard run by Eli Strickland to tie the game — the Panthers then gained the lead to begin the second quarter on an 11 yard pass from Bryan Ponder to Strickland.
Back and forth scoring closed out the first half, setting the tone for a dynamic second half shootout.
“A lot of ballgames have an ebb and flow to them,” said Windthorst coach Chris Tackett. “When things are going bad, you can’t get too low; when things are going high you can’t get too happy, you got to keep the course and keep playing, and our kids did a heck of a job doing that tonight.”
The second half began with perhaps the most one-sided play in the contest, with the Trojans scoring a quick pair of touchdowns, appearing to take control of the game. Windthorst took a 39-35 lead into the final quarter of play, looking to finally seize control of the game. It was long from over however, as Bells’ Jacob Taylor picked off quarterback Hunter Wolf and took it 82 yards to the endzone, surging the Panthers back into the lead. The Trojans however stayed calm under pressure.
“One thing we say is ‘well at least we’ll get the ball back.’ That was kind of our attitude towards that,” Tackett remarked.
Photo: Blake Wood/TexasHSFootball.com
Nathan Bales tacked on a 20 yard rushing score with 2:43 left in the game to put Windthorst back on top, but needed to hold back a scrappy Bells offense one last time. With the Panthers methodically driving down the field, converting multiple third down plays, the offense faced a prime opportunity to snatch the win away with last second heroics.
Bells faced a 4th and 10 from the Windthorst 10 yard line, the first three plays stalling. After a timeout stopped the clock at four seconds, Ponder’s pass from scrimmage was intercepted by Pennartz, sealing the deal.
In a dynamic offensive contest, both teams quarterbacks finished the night with impressive statistics: Ponder completed a whopping 38 passes for 397 yards and four touchdowns, while Wolf finished with 207 yards and a pair of scores on 17 completions.
Pennartz tallied 171 yards rushing with three touchdowns on 24 carries.
“Offensive line played great today. I’m just really proud of them today.”
Windthorst is through to the next round with the win, and will face the winner of Goldthwaite and Mart, who do battle Friday night. Bells finishes the season with an 8-3 record, along with a 4-2 mark in 6-2A DI.
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