SALINA — Last Thursday, the eighth-grade football teams from Great Bend Middle School traveled to Salina to take on Salina South’s teams.
The Panthers dominated from the opening play of the game.  
The scoring onslaught began with a 30-yard touchdown run from Trey Hurd. Bryce Lytle capped the drive off by plunging into the end zone for the two-point conversion.  
The next Panthers strike came through the air as quarterback Jacob Murray connected with Brayden Smith for a 34-yard touchdown as the horn sounded to end the first quarter.  
The two-point conversion that ensued was good as Murray connected with Lytle, making the score 16-0.
The second quarter began with Salina South going three-and-out. The Panthers capitalized on a poor snap to South’s punter, and Lytle scored on the first play of the drive on a 1-yard touchdown.
Murray found Smith in the end zone, capping the scoring drive with a two-point conversion.  
As time was winding down in the second quarter, the Panthers found themselves with a second-and-25 from their own 10-yard line, when Hurd took the handoff and galloped 90 yards for the touchdown. Murray connected once again with Smith for the 2 point conversion making the halftime score 32–0.  
Great Bend scored again in the fourth quarter, as Cal Marshall plunged into the end zone from four yards out making the final score 38-0.  
The Panthers dominated the game with 303 yards of rushing and 80 yards of passing.  
The leading rushers for Great Bend were: Hurd, 128 yards; Marshall, 101 yards; and Lytle, 70 yards.
Murray was 9-for-11 passing for 80 yards and a touchdown.
The Panthers defense dominated the line of scrimmage, holding Salina South to 70 yards of offense.  
The Panther “B” team won 6-0.  They scored their only touchdown on a run of 21 yards by Braulio Vargas.  
The “A” team improved their record to 4-1, while the “B” team improved to 4 – 2.  
Both teams played host to Hays on Tuesday.

                                                                        — Mack McClure