It wasn’t the start the Oconto Falls High School football team had hoped for, falling 49-0 at West De Pere on Thursday.
Before the Panthers’ offense got its sixth snap of the game, it was already down three touchdowns.
Oconto Falls got down 28-0 in the first 8 minutes, 32 seconds and had an uphill climb the rest of the way.
“It was a band of brothers out there and they just kept fighting together,” OFHS coach Jeff Trochil said. “They had a fun time and we had a fun time coaching even though we lost the game. It’s going to be even more fun when we get on the other side of the scoreboard.”
Getting down early didn’t deflate the Panthers players, senior halfback/defensive back Jake Yatso said.
“We came in with a positive attitude, and we stuck with it,” Yatso said. “Us seniors, me and Ross (Pumplun), we did a pretty good job keeping it positive. Those junior guys really helped, too.”
West De Pere’s offense put up 42 first-half points and 327 yards, but Trochil saw his defense steadily get better throughout the game. The Panthers, who started five sophomores and were led by junior Kyle Wolf’s seven tackles, surrendered just 99 yards in the second half.
“We got beat on a pass play early, and we didn’t see that the rest of the game,” Trochil said. “They played smart football. When they made a mistake, they made the correction.”
The Panthers’ offense mustered 31 first-half yards but ended with 110. Sophomore quarterback Connor Scray completed 6 of 11 passes for 60 yards in his first career start and was sacked three times.
“We were happy we got our offense going at the end,” said Yatso, who had six carries for 48 yards. “I really want to credit the offensive line. They’re good players.”
West De Pere (1-0, 1-0 Bay Conference) took the opening kickoff and marched 55 yards as halfback Dom Conway scored on a 5-yard run. On Oconto Falls’ first drive, Scray fumbled and West De Pere recovered. The Phantoms didn’t waste any time as Connor Konshak caught a deflected pass from quarterback Beau Mommaerts for an 18-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 just 2 minutes, 15 seconds into the game.
After an Oconto Falls three-and-out on its second drive, Mommaerts and Konshak hooked up again, this time from 44 yards for another touchdown at 7:26. Mommaerts connected with Zack Sanders on a swing pass for a 9-yard touchdown to make it 28-0 at 3:28 of the first quarter.
Oconto Falls (0-1, 0-1 Bay Conference) had its best drive of the opening half as Yatso picked up a 20-yard run to get to the West De Pere 43. On a fourth and 6, Scray hit Jack Huberty for a shade less than 6 yards and the Panthers turned the ball over on downs. Not long after, Conway, who finished with a game-high 13 carries for 116 yards, had a 5-yard touchdown run at 9:48 of the second quarter.
Mommaerts, who completed 7 of 9 passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns, scored on the ground from 14 yards out, and it was 42-0 right before halftime.
West De Pere’s lone touchdown in the second half came on a Matthew McNabb 32-yard run. The Phantoms got in the red zone early in the fourth quarter, but the Panthers stopped four straight running plays inside the 10-yard line to get the ball back on downs.
Starting at their own 4, the Panthers had their best drive of the game, marching down the field in a two-minute drill. Oconto Falls had three chances to score inside the 9, but Yatso was two yards shy of the end zone as time expired.
“It would have been great to punch that last one in, but at least we got them on their heels a little bit,” Trochil said. “That was fun to see.”
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