A Silent Second Half for Skins

For the second straight week, the Liberal Redskins were shut out in the second half.  Despite an improved second half by the LHS defense Friday night at Great Bend Memorial Stadium, the Great Bend Panthers defeated the Liberal Redskins 28-14 on a damp and gray night with rain showers off and on.   It’s Liberal’s third straight loss.

Liberal struck first as J. Brooks Kappelmann returned from an injury from two weeks ago with a scrambling 13 yard touchdown pass to Zayden Martinez who made a leaping catch near the goal line and reached over the goal line for the score.  The Redskins missed the PAT.  Great Bend’s Cody Miller’s one yard touchdown run and subsequent PAT for the Panthers made it 7-6 GBHS with 1:22 to play in the first quarter.  Aidan Schwindt rotated from receiver to quarterback throughout the night and rolled to the right to find Zayden Martinez who turned the play into a 68 yard score early in the second quarter.  Kappelmann found Schwindt for the two point conversion and a 14-7 Redskin lead for a second straight week.  Miller’s five yard run with 7:18 to play in the half and Great Bend quarterback Cayden Scheuerman’s one yard sneak gave the Panthers a 21-14 lead with 1:29 to play in the half.  Liberal struggled turning their heads and finding GBHS passes  in the secondary in the first half.  Liberal did make a goal line stand to for a missed field goal at the end of the half.  It was 21-14 Panthers at the half.

The Redskin defense played much better in the second half and didn’t allow a score until Scheuerman’s 34 yard run with 1:12 to play.

Zayden Martinez was the Epic Touch Player of the Game.  He had five catches for 119 yards.  Kappelmann was 16-32 for 176 yards and a touchdown.  Trystian Juarez rushed for 74 yards and had 11 tackles on defense.

Liberal is 2-4 and 0-3 in the WAC and Great Bend is 4-2 and 2-1 in the WAC.  Liberal plays at Hays Friday with Redskin Pre-game at 6 on 1270 and 92.3.