Panthers win second game in a row

ROCKFORD - Parkway had been playing good football in recent weeks.

That trend continued on Friday.

Justin Barna accounted for 273 yards of total offense and three touchdowns as Parkway picked up its second victory in a row with a 35-7 win over New Bremen at Panther Stadium.

The Panthers improved to 2-7 overall and 2-5 in Midwest Athletic Conference play. The Cardinals dropped to 1-8 and 0-7 in league play.

Parkway scored a season-high in points and allowed a season-low on defense. The same exact thing happened for the Panthers last year when the programs met at Cardinal Stadium.

After having a short field to work with early in the first quarter, Barna hit a hole and ran for a 19-yard touchdown to make the score 7-0 with 7:20 to play.

The Panthers extended their lead to 14-0 with 6:57 left in the half. Coach Dan Cairns decided to roll the dice on a fourth-and-one from their own 30, and it paid off. Barna faked a handoff up the middle and dumped a pass to Coleton Bollenbacher, who broke one tackle and was off to the races for a 70-yard touchdown.

Parkway added another touchdown before the end of the half. Wide receiver Caden May couldn't be contained on the drive, hauling in three catches for 35 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown from Barna on a fourth-and-one with five seconds to go.

New Bremen's defense limited Parkway to just one score in the final half - a four-yard touchdown run by Peyton Hamrick with 3:25 left in the fourth.

The Panther defense scored a touchdown early in the fourth, as Kevin Flaugher recovered a fumble and ran 35 yards to the house.

A 38-yard run by Nicholas Wells and an 11-yard rush by Avery Powers set up New Bremen's lone score. Powers rolled out of the pocket and found Greg Parker for a nine-yard touchdown with five seconds left in the game.

Parkway running backs Peyton Hamrick and Sage Dugan combined for 100 yards rushing thanks to a solid effort in the trenches by the offensive line.

On the defensive side, the Panthers bent a few times but rarely broke. Cairns wanted to limit big plays by the New Bremen rushing attack, which his team did for the majority of the game. The Cardinals tallied 216 yards of total offense, 185 coming via the run.

"We came out and wanted to focus on stopping the run, and I think we did a great job of that," Cairns said. "Linemen were upset they were getting double-teamed. I said 'That's a great thing when you're getting double-teamed. It means they can't block you one-on-one and the linebackers are free to make plays.' "

A year removed from a huge game against the Cardinals, Barna gashed the Cardinal defense again. He finished 12-of-22 passing for 170 yards and 16 carries for 103 yards.

"I thought he had a really nice all-around game," said Cairns of his junior signal-caller. "He showed a lot of poise in the pocket when things weren't there - finding the second and third reads and tucking and running when he had to."

The Cardinal defense allowed 373 yards of total offense but did a better job of holding Parkway in check in the second half after giving up 21 points in the first 24 minutes.

"I said earlier in the week that I think Parkway's got a really good football team," New Bremen coach Chris Schmidt said. "I was proud of our kids. I thought we really hung in there and really played well defensively. In some ways, that might have been our best defensive performance. We just gave up a couple plays here and there, but I think we did a nice job for the most part of limiting big plays."

Jake Hemmelgarn was the leading rushing for the Cardinals with 69 yards and Darrin Hays added 46 yards on eight carries. New Bremen finishes the season at home against defending state champion Coldwater.

The Panthers will also get a crack at a state champ next week when they travel to Minster.

"All the teams Minster's played up to this point they've beat but they've all been really close games," Carins said. "I think if we come out and give them our best shot, we're capable of winning that game. It's going to take a great effort on our part because they're already a lock for the playoff. But I definitely think we're capable of playing with them and maybe sneaking one out."