BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
LIBERAL – Great Bend’s aggressive defense paved the way for a dominating 35-6 Western Athletic Conference football victory over Liberal.
Tailback Gage Fritz scored two touchdowns and rushed for 131 yards. Panther quarterback Koy Brack completed a 50-yard touchdown pass to Alex Schremmer and a 11-yard score to Dalton Miller. Brack also scored on a 5-yard run.
Panther superman Jeff Spragis recovered a fumble and accounted for a team high 15 tackles. Linebacker Blake Penka had 11 tackles, three for loss. The Panthers turned away Liberal at the goal-line on two drives. Panther Alex Olivas intercepted a pass. Great Bend converted fumble recoveries by Townshend Kurth and Dalton Miller into offensive touchdowns.
The Panthers' best defensive effort came after the Redskins recovered the second half's kickoff at the 6-yard line. The Panthers stopped Liberal quarterback Syris Dunlap on three runs and stuffed Cesar Burciaga on fourth down. Earlier, the Panthers stopped Liberal and Cesar Burciaga's field goal bounced off the crossbar.
"Our defense made some big-time stops," said Great Bend coach Erin Beck. "We played very well defensively. We were never worried that Liberal would drive the football on us..That was our focus all week."
Great Bend (5-2, 3-0 WAC) has clinched a share of the WAC football championship, but needs to beat Garden City (2-5, 2-1 WAC) next week for an outright title. The Panthers achieved the victory despite six turnovers.
"That's a big-time goal to win an outright league title," said Great Bend coach Erin Beck. "I'm very proud of our football team. We got a lot of guys involved tonight. Overall, I'm very happy with our effort."
Fritz enjoyed his best career game with his vintage hard-running style. Brack threw for 224 yards with Schremmer catching five balls for 136 yards.
"Gage Fritz ran his heart out. Our offensive line did a good job controlling the line of scrimmage," Beck said. "It's nice to hand the ball off. Koy throws the ball so well down the field to Alex Schremmer. Koy and Schremmer have a great connection."
Brack scored after Miller's fumble recovery on Liberal's first play. Schremmer scored on a 50-yard pass for a 14-0 lead. A crucial Liberal offside flag kept a drive going and Brack connected with Miller on an 11-yard score. Olivas forced a fumble that Kurth recovered and Fritz scored on a 15-yard run for a 27-0 lead.
After a second goal-line stop, the Panthers started a 99-yard drive with a 27-yard pass to Schremmer. Fritz scored on a 5-yard touchdown run for a 33-0 lead.
Brack was intercepted four times as Liberal's Braxton Hyde intercepted two passes. The Panthers gave away two fumbles on the kicking game.
"We had way too many mental mistakes," Beck said. "Our composure wasn't what it was all year. We need to understand that."
Liberal's Jaylin Staten scored a 4-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left in the game. Staten rumbled 30 yards to get into scoring position.
Great Bend 14 13 8 0 –35
Liberal 0 0 0 6 – 6
GB—Koy Brack 5 run (Dani Franco kick)—10:38
GB—Alex Schremmer 50 pass from Brack (Franco kick)—8:08
GB—Dalton Miller 11 pass from Brack (kick blocked)—7:14
GB—Gage Fritz 15 run (Franco kick)—3:27
GB—Fritz 4 run (Peyton Duvall pass from Brack)—37:33
L—Jaylin Staten 4 run (run failed)—0:21
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—GB—Fritz 20-131; Miller 7-86; Brack 4-(-4); Moeder 3-(-5). L—51-150.
PASSING—GB—Brack 13-22-4, 224; Miller 1-1-0, 9; L—1-6-1, (-1)
RECEIVING—GB—Schremmer 5-136; Peyton Duvall 2-40; Calan Haberman 3-26; Chance Perry 3-15; Miller 1-11; Ryan Ochoa 1-5.
PANTHER RECEIVING YARDS, SEASON
1—1,049—BRYCE LYTLE, 2015
2—1,025—BRYCE LYTLE, 2016
3—893—DONLEY HURD, 1983
4—843—ALEX SCHREMMER, 2018
50 YARDS FOR NO. 3
182 YARDS FOR NO. 2
206 YARDS FOR NO. 1
PANTHER RECEIVING TDS, SEASON
11—BRYCE LYTLE, 2016
10—ALEX SCHREMMER, 2018
9—BRETT HOLT, 2004
9—OMAR RAMIREZ, 2006
1 TD TO TIE THE RECORD
2 TDS TO BREAK THE RECORD
5A WEST
1—Maize High 7-0 91
2—Wichita Northwest 7-0 79
3—Great Bend 5-2 44
4—Wichita Carroll 5-2 41
5—Salina Central 5-2 39
6—Wichita Kapaun 5-2 26
7—Wichita Heights 4-3 1
8—Maize South 4-3 (-14)
9—Emporia 3-4 18
10—Andover 3-4 9
11—Hays High 3-4 (-2)
12—Newton 3-4 (-20)
13—Valley Center 3-4 (-23)
14—Goddard-Eisenhower 2-5 (-36)
15—Liberal 1-6 (-40)
16—Salina South 0-7 (-88)
WESTERN ATHLETIC
Great Bend 3-0 5-2
Dodge City 2-1 4-3
Garden City 2-1 2-5
Hays High 1-3 3-4
Liberal 0-3 1-6
WEEK 1—Great Bend 35, Andover 12; Liberal 41, Guymon, Okla. 0; Derby 49, Garden City 6; Junction City 56, Hays High 31; Campus 47, Dodge City 9
WEEK 2—*Great Bend 15, Hays High 7; Wichita North 13, Liberal 6; Valley Center 41, Garden City 20; Dodge City 27, Salina South 17
WEEK 3—Wichita Northwest 56, Great Bend 34; *Hays High 21, Liberal 20; Hutchinson 28, Garden City 24; Dodge City 49, Wichita Heights 27
WEEK 4—*Great Bend 35, Dodge City 15; *Garden City 35, Hays High 28; Wichita Southeast 14, Liberal 8
WEEK 5—*Wichita Carroll 36, Great Bend 33; Wichita West 27, Dodge City 14; *Garden City 32, Liberal 6; Hays High 53, Wichita South 20
WEEK 6—Great Bend 30, Andover Central 7; *Dodge City 34, Hays High 33; Wichita Northwest 61, Garden City 15; Wichita East 20, Liberal 7
FRIDAY—*Great Bend 35, Liberal 6; *Dodge City 27, Garden City 7; Hays High 41, Buhler 21.
WEEK 8—*Garden City at Great Bend; *Dodge City at Liberal; Hays High at Salina Central
