You could feel it coming.
All of the markers were there.
It was a home game. It was homecoming weekend. Great Bend High School’s opponent was struggling with a 0-3 record.
Not only that, but the Panthers were coming off the best game they’ve played in the early football season.
The stars aligned and Great Bend rumbled their way to a 36-7 non-conference victory over Wichita North.
The win snaps the losing streak the Panthers have been wallowing in.
“It always feels better to win then to lose,” GBHS head coach Tony Crough said. “I’m happy for our kids. They deserved to have some success. It’s just nice for our program.”
That doesn’t mean it came easy.
Great Bend has been battling injuries.
The Panthers were without their starting running back, Trent Uselton, who suffered a concussion.
Defensively, a considerable number of Great Bend’s starting 11 has been in and out lately.
“We’ve got some ball hawks over there,” Crough said. “Guys are getting hurt and we’re just plugging guys in. We were practicing in the middle of the week, we had six guys on our defense out that was penciled in as our starting lineup in August.
“We got a couple guys back that weren’t there in the middle of the week, but the coaches are just doing a phenomenal job with their system. Kids are getting after it.”
Still, Great Bend got magnificent performances from those stepping in.
Most notably was running back Thomas Bobbitt, who took the majority of the carries for Uselton.
Bobbitt had 114 yards on 25 carries for one touchdown, a 5-yard run in the third quarter.
“We’ve had the next man up mentality all week,” Crough said. “You can choose to put your heads down and pout about it, or you can find somebody who’s ready to go and throw them in there. That’s what our kids decided to do.
“(Bobbitt) did great. I think he had nearly 120 yards rushing. It was great to get him in there and get him experience.”
A safety got things started for Great Bend after Wichita North punted out the back of their own end zone.
Adrian Falk rushed for a 16-yard score as time ran out in the first quarter to give Great Bend a 9-0 lead.
The Panthers made it 15-0 at the 7:03 mark in the second quarter when quarterback Shade Wondra connected with Bryce Lytle for a 23-yard TD.
The duo combined five times. Lytle had 68 receiving yards.
“That’s something our kids are really starting to like,” Crough said. “Shade’s really starting to enjoy throwing to him. Lytle’s doing a good job catching it.
“Unfortunately, I think we’re going to have to start throwing it around to some other guys, but they’re both improving a lot every practice.”
The Redskins responded for the first and only time on Friday night with a 8-yard pass from Ray Robinson to Jared Faunce.
Great Bend led at halftime for the first time this season, a 15-7 advantage.
After Bobbitt’s touchdown, Ramses Lopez got involved.
Lopez, who had 44 all-purpose yards, caught a 24-yard dart from Wondra in the end zone to make it 29-7.
Wondra, who completed 8 of 15 passes for 104 yards, punched in one more touchdown from one yard out late in the fourth quarter.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Non-Conference
Friday
At Great Bend
Memorial Stadium
Great Bend 36, Wichita North 7
Wichita North 0 7 0 0 — 7
Great Bend 9 6 14 7 — 36
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
Great Bend — Safety, 10:40.
Great Bend — Adrian Falk 16 run (Armando Dominguez kick good), :00.
Second quarter
Great Bend — Bryce Lytle 23 pass from Shade Wondra (Dominguez kick failed), 7:03.
Wichita North — Jared Faunce 8 pass from Ray Robinson (Roberto Lopez kick good), 5:06.
Third quarter
Great Bend — Thomas Bobbitt 5 run (Dominguez kick good.
Great Bend — Ramses Lopez 24 pass from Wondra (Dominguez kick good), 1:08.
Fourth quarter
Great Bend — Wondra 1 run (Dominguez kick good), 3:13.
