As district battles intensify, dreams can end on any given Friday night. This week’s installment of the Area Game of the Week saw the Phillipsburg Panthers pay a visit to the undefeated Hoisington Cardinals.
Hoisington entered the game ranked number 1 in 2A. A large part of that ranking has to do with senior running back Wyatt Pedigo. Pedigo showed everyone in the house why when he took the first play from scrimmage 84 yards for a touchdown. Before Phillipsburg could breathe, junior Cade Mason had cashed in for another touchdown, making the score 14-0 in favor of the home team.
Phillipsburg quarterback Ty Sides was able to find pay dirt on the next series. Sides caught a 30 yard pass and ran in a 3 yard touchdown on the drive. Sides played most of the game at quarterback, but could line up anywhere.
However, Phillipsburg’s rally was short lived, as Hunter Morris took the ensuing kickoff back 90 yards for a touchdown. The Cardinals potent offense added another touchdown before intermission, building a 28-7 halftime lead.
The second half started with the two teams exchanging interceptions before Pedigo was able to cash in again. That made it 35-7. Both defenses allowed less than 22 points a game coming in, so few expected the game to turn into such a shootout.
Phillipsburg was able to put together a touchdown drive, which Hoisington matched, making the score 42-14. The rest of the night saw both teams exchange a lot of offense, but Hoisington was just too much, winning the scoreboard battle 56-28.
Ty Sides ran for 78 yards and a touchdown, passed for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns, and caught 4 balls for 42 yards. The versatile quarterback is just a junior. His favorite target was Kagan Keeten, who caught 10 balls for 189 yards and 2 scores.
Hoisington was paced by Pedigo who finished with 279 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 11 carries. Cade Mason added 157 yards and 2 touchdowns, while quarterback Mason Haxtun ran for a score and threw for another. The Hoisington defense was able to force 3 turnovers. The two teams combined had nearly 1,000 yards of offense.
Phillipsburg drops to 2-5 on the season. They’ll travel to Minneapolis next week for a game that will see the winner take the districts final playoff spot.
Hoisington remains undefeated at 7-0 and will likely remain the top-ranked team in 2A. They’ll look to complete a perfect season when they hit the road for a tough match-up with Norton.