BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Jaxon Wondra's 41-yard interception return for a touchdown keyed a stout defensive effort that sparked Great Bend's 21-3 football victory over McPherson Friday at Memorial Stadium.
Down 7-3, McPherson was poised to take the lead when Wondra raced for a touchdown after he alertly read a pass by quarterback Carter Bengston.
"Jaxon's interception snatched the momentum coming out of halftime," said Great Bend coach Erin Beck. "Jaxon made an outstanding read. We saw on Friday night what he does every day in practice."
Linebacker Kale Kern delivered the Panthers' second biggest defensive play by blowing up Dane Becker a 4th-and-1 play run from shotgun formation at the Panther 5-yard line.
Gavin Wondra also intercepted a pass for Great Bend (2-0), which stopped McPherson twice on 4th-and-1 situations.
McPherson managed 78 yards rushing and Bengston threw for 149 yards.
"Our defense played lights out that second half," Beck said. "Mac's passing game is really good. They have great concepts and their skilled quarterback made good reads. We kept the pressure up and made him make tougher throws. We tackled well and kept everything in front."
The Panthers benefited from costly penalties against McPherson that negated a Bullpup touchdown, and forced McPherson to punt after a holding flag on 4th-and-1 at the Bullpup 41-yard line.
The Panthers misfired on 4th-and-1 on their promising opening drive when an errant snap from shotgun formation ruined a potential first down run.
Panther tailback Cal Schartz scored on a 10-yard touchdown to cap Great Bend's 68-yard drive for a 7-0 lead. Schartz gained 103 hard-earned yards on 23 carries.
McPherson answered right before halftime with a nifty 72-yard drive capped by Jackson Hoover's 32-yard field goal for a 7-3 halftime score. Bengston completed a 31-yard pass to Ashton Malm and a 23-yard strike to Becker.
Kansas State commit Cooper Ohnmacht steamrolled over McPherson's Dane Becker on a dazzling 18-yard touchdown reception for the Panthers' third touchdown for a 21-3 lead. Ohnmacht scored touchdowns all four years against McPherson and finished with 97 yards receiving.
"You sit back and enjoy seeing Cooper in red and back," Beck said. "The kids loved to celebrate that."
Great Bend fought hard for 131 yards rushing and 133 yards passing against a quick and aggressive McPherson defense.
"We overcame some adversity, and took care of business that second half," Beck said. "We're excited, and we'll enjoy the moment. This was a test to find out what we had. McPherson is a good football team, and there's a chance we could see that team down the road."
The Panthers found the offensive rhythm tough to find against a strong McPherson defense.
"Our offensive line did an outstanding job," Beck said. "Cal (Schartz) did a good job grinding out tough yards. There's things we need to clean up. We're working to get on the same page."
McPherson (1-1) 0 3 0 0 — 3
Great Bend (2-0) 7 0 7 7— 21
GB—Schartz 10 run (Cruz kick); M—Hoover 32 FG; GB—Jaxon Wondra 41 interception return (Cruz kick); GB—Ohnmacht 18 pass from Smiley (Cruz kick)
RUSHING—M—21-78; Becker 13-61; Bengston 7-27; Hoffman 1-1; GB—37-131; Schartz 23-103; Alcala 1-5; Smiley 7-29; team 2-(-6)
PASSING—M—Bengston 12-22-2, 149; GB—Smiley 12-18-0, 133
RECEIVING—M—Barkley 3-44; Malm 3-38; Hoover 2-24; Becker 1-23; Puhalla 2-16; Hoffman 1-3; GB—Ohnmacht 8-97; Premer 3-20; Kern 1-16
