BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
The Great Bend Panthers rolled the dice and lost.
Goddard Eisenhower fullback Justis Moore laid the law down with a four-touchdown performance to spark the Tigers past Great Bend 35-28 in Friday’s Class 5A football playoffs. Moore gained 227 yards.
The Tigers gained possession at the Panther 42-yard line with the score tied 28-28. Panther back Dalton Miller was stopped on two consecutive short-yardage plays with just under seven minutes left. Moore saved the Tigers’ drive with 15 yards on 2nd-and-16. Moore scored on a 3-yard touchdown with 2:06 left.
Quarterback Koy Brack expertly guided the Panthers 67 yards with crisp passing to reach the Tigers’ 13-yard line. But a false start penalty cost the Panthers five yards and the Tigers stopped the final four Great Bend plays.
The Panthers and Tigers battled to a 14-14 tie at halftime. Great Bend gained 165 yards and the Tigers moved 161 yards.
Great Bend’s offense started with a crisp 77-yard scoring drive keyed by a 32-yard dash by Koy Brack. Dalton Miller scored from 1 yard.
The Tigers rallied for a 14-7 lead. Eisenhower moved 62 yards capped by Justis Moore’s 5-yard touch-down. Quarterback Ty Trudo completed a crucial 26-yard pass to Colton McKinnon despite a terrific rush.
Moore dashed 50 yards on the Tigers’ next drive for a 14-7 lead with 10:31 left in the half. Great Bend’s Gage Fritz matched that score with a dazzling 58-yard touchdown run.
GE 7 7 7 14 — 35
GB 7 7 7 7 — 28
GB—Dalton Miller 1 run (Dani Franco kick), 8:01
GE—Moore 5 run (Jacob Abel kick), 3:41
GE—Moore 50run (Abel kick), 10:31
GB—Gage Fritz 58 run (Franco kick), 9:52
GE—Moore 4 run (Abel kick), 8:34
GB—Koy Brack 1 run (Franco kick), 2:32
GB—Miller 52 run (Franco kick) 11:49
GE—Trudo 2 run (Abel kick), 8:48
GE—Moore 3 run (Abel kick), 2:06
RUSHING—GE—50-312; Moore 30-227; Trudo 13-58; Colton MacKinnon 4-24; Fowler 1-5; team 2-(-2); GB—40-242; Miller 17-98; Koy Brack 16-74; Fritz 7-70.
PASSING—GE—Trudo 5-7-0, 71; GB—Brack 7-15-0, 82.
RECEIVING—GE—MacKinnon 2-39; Tanner King 3-32; GB—Miller 3-43; Dalton Bieker 3-36; Ty Esfeld 1-3.