The Great Bend High School football team won a shootout with Western Athletic Conference foe Liberal on Friday night at Memorial Stadium.
The Panthers won 43-36 to improve to 4-2 overall, 2-1 in WAC action.
Great Bend got things started, capping its opening drive of 34 yards with a 1-yard dive into the end zone by quarterback Bryce Beck.
Greg Burley turned on the jets late in the first quarter to get around the right corner for a 29-yard score, making it 14-0.
Liberal quarterback Britton Abbott punched in a touchdown from two yards out, making it 14-8 after a two-point conversion.
Beck connected with Burley for a 42-yard bomb, boosting the Panthers to a 21-8 lead at halftime.
Abbott connected with Trenton Abbott, the WAC’s leading receiver, for a 20-yard touchdown pass to open the second half.
Trent Uselton responded for Great Bend with a 15-yard touchdown run.
Scoring went back and forth in the fourth quarter.
Liberal running back Rex Heronemous scored from five yards out, making it 29-24, followed by a 32-yard Burley run for a Great Bend TD.
Heronemous caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Abbott with 3:58 remaining.
The Panthers ran the ball to take chunks out of the game clock, but Burley busted out for a 38-yard score with 1:24 remaining.
Abbott was able to get one more TD with four seconds left in the game, but Beck got the onside kick and took a knee to run out the clock.