New Prague's early lead proves too much for Century
ROCHESTER — After it recorded more than a dozen turnovers in the first three weeks of the season, Century focused its energy on the run game during its homecoming matchup with New Prague.
Panthers sophomore running back Maxwell Elliot had been battling an ankle injury for the past few weeks, but after some extensive rehab this week, he was ready to go Friday night.
Elliot credited the Century offensive line for giving him opportunities. He notched 92 yards on 17 carries.
"I first have to give credit to them. And then after that, it's just up to me — I ought to find the right hole," Elliot said. "I thought I ran the ball pretty well. I thought we had great blocks overall. Obviously, the inside run was working all right. The outside run was working all right. But I just give credit to the line."
Although the Panthers showed improvement following last week's 63-0 blowout loss to Chanhassen, their effort was not nearly enough to grab a victory on Friday. Costly mistakes secured them a 35-6 loss.
The Trojans controlled the first half, putting up 28 unanswered points. They marched down the field and struck first with a 1-yard TD run from senior running back Colin Buetow with 8:34 left in the first quarter.
The second quarter was where New Prague sealed the deal with two back-to-back rushing scores and a 21-yard passing TD from junior quarterback Michael Bruner to junior running back Sawyer Jasperson.
Bruner was 5-for-8 for 45 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Kormick Smith led the Trojans on the ground with 73 yards on nine attempts and one touchdown.
Century finally got on the board in the third quarter and gained some momentum.
Junior quarterback Jarek Solak found junior wide receiver Miles Tesch in the end zone for a 25-yard TD pass with 4:37 to play in the third quarter.
"I think, the second half, we had better focus," Century head coach Jon Vik said. "I think the kids came out and executed better, and I think it showed. I think we were able to move the football, and I think the kids will see that on film, and we'll be able to correct some of those things."
The Panthers had a couple more promising attempts in the red zone but failed to lessen the deficit, resulting in their fourth loss of the season.
Mistakes included a pair of turnovers in the second half, the last being a tipped pass turned interception on the final play of the game.
"We just have to continue to get better each and every week," Vik said. "Like I (said) before, the first couple of weeks, I've never seen turnovers like that. And at this particular point, one is still too many."
Solak was 3-for-4 with 69 yards and one touchdown while quarterback Kaine Severson was 5-for-14 on 61 yards and one interception.
"I was very proud of Kaine (Severson), protecting the ball the way he did," Vik said. "I thought our offensive line did a nice job of protecting him. For the most part tonight, I thought he had time to throw."
As frustrating as this season has been for the Panthers, Vik said one of the best things about his players is that they are coachable and willing to improve each week. But he also knows there's still a ways to go before they can start winning games.
"We're halfway through the season where there's no excuse for being inexperienced," Vik said. "You've got half a season of experience, and we can't keep making the mental mistakes that we've made that have caused us to not move the ball, that have caused us to give up easy passing touchdowns. There are mental miscues that we can't do."
New Prague 35, Century 6
Century 0-0-6-0 – 6
New Prague 7-21-7-0 – 35
First quarter
New Prague — Colin Buetow 1 run (Thomas Geiger kick) 8:34
Second quarter
New Prague — Kormick Smith 30 run (Geiger kick) 10:37
New Prague — Hunter LeCuyer 19 run (Geiger kick) 7:25
New Prague — Sawyer Jasperson 21 pass from Michael Bruner (Geiger kick) 1:10
Third quarter
Century — Miles Tesch 25 pass from Jarek Solak (Brady Buchmann kick fail) 4:37
New Prague — Buetow 2 run (Geiger kick) 1:42
Fourth quarter
No scoring
INDIVIDUAL STATS
New Prague — Kormick Smith 9-73; Colin Buetow 7-30; Hunter LeCuyer 5-50; Michael Bruner 2-15. Century — Maxwell Elliot 17-92; Ethan Backus 3-13; Kaine Severson 2-15.
New Prague — Bruner 5 completions, 8 attempts, 0 interceptions and 1 touchdown, 45 yards. Century — Severson 6 completions, 15 attempts, 1 interception, 0 touchdowns, 61 yards; Jarek Solak 3 completions, 4 attempts, 0 interceptions, 1 touchdown, 69 yards.
