BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
HAYS — Years from now, fans will testify they were present to witness greatness.
In a career full of football highlights, Great Bend's Ian Premer delivered a vintage performance with five touchdowns in the Panthers' 43-19 victory over rival Hays High that virtually clinches the No. 1 West 5A seed and the Western Athletic Conference championship.
"There's nothing like Friday Night Lights," said Great Bend coach Erin Beck.
Every Premer touchdown was highlight worthy, prompting Kiowa County Media broadcaster Cameron Birney to wonder where ESPN was.
Premer acknowledged the value of his teammates hustling downfield for blocks.
"Our grit on those plays where we're getting a run after a catch is because the whole team is making blocks downfield," Premer said in a televised interview. "This is the most fun I've had. This is our last run and these are my guys. We're explosive offensively with guys who can go make plays."
Premer scored on 2, 12 and 54 yards runs, a 64-yard pass and a 38-yard interception return. He rushed for a career best 139 yards keyed by Kale Kern's stout blocking and had 123 yards receiving.
"No. 14 (Premer) is as good as advertised. Everybody got a taste of that. When you have No. 14 (Premer) you've got a chance," Beck said.
The final 24-point victory was deceiving after Hays sliced the lead to 14-7, 21-13 and 28-19 with second-half touchdowns.
Hays all-state back Holden Lind rushed for 253 yards and two scores. The Indians gained 422 yards behind a dominant offensive line, but were stopped twice on fourth down conversions. One time, pressure by Panther Grant Watkins forced an errant throw.
The Panthers responded with each Hays touchdown with a touchdown on the ensuing offensive possession to rebuild a 2-score lead.
Premer started with a 12-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 halftime lead. The Panthers moved 48 yards in seven plays. Cooper Ohnmacht caught a 18-yard pass and Daxton Minton ran 10 yards.
The Indians reached the Panther 3-yard as the half ended. Hays tailback Lind raced to the 3-yard line. A final pass was defended by Panther Jacob Hall on the final play of the half. Hays moved 69 yards on the final drive. The Indians gained 160 yards on 35 plays. The Panthers gained 117 yards on 21 plays.
"That was a huge stop by our defense," Beck said. "Jacob Hall did an outstanding job, stayed home and made a great defensive play."
After a 7-0 first half, Great Bend and Hays adjusted offensively to combine for eight second-half touchdowns and 437 yards offense.
The Panthers enjoyed video-game highlights after halftime with five touchdowns and 175 yards. Minton passed for 187 yards and rushed for 57 yards.
"Our quarterback did a nice job navigating that," Beck said. "We saw different looks. Daxton made good decisions getting the football out to our play-makers."
Great Bend finished with 392 yards on 40 plays, just shy of a 10-yard average.
"It was a fun night. This validated how well we've been playing," Beck said. "They needed to prove it to themselves. It was one of the best environments I've ever seen."
Great Bend overcame back-to-back holding calls for two quick-strike touchdowns. Premer dashed 54 yards creating a gap with a physical run that left Indians Eli Dreiling and Braiden Bickle grasping for air.
After Lind converted a 2-yard touchdown for a 14-7 score, Premer's perfectly executed 64-yard pass screen pass led to a 21-7 lead. Trenton Kern's block freed Premer and Hayden Kelly's block flattened Indian Jarek Purdy.
"That one run Ian had was one of the most impressive ones he's ever had," Beck said "He tops that later on his slip-screen, and has an even more impressive run. He did some magical things."
Hays rallied again on Braxton Basgall's 10-yard touchdown run for a 21-13 score. This time, Panther quarterback Minton scored on a dazzling 25-yard touchdown to rebuild the lead to 28-13.
Of course, Lind responded with a an equally dazzling 54-yard touchdown, but the 2-pointer failed for a 28-19 score with 10:27 left. Premer's amazing 44-yard dash set up his 2-yard touchdown for a 36-19 lead after a 2-point pass from Minton to Jacob Hall.
However, even "Superman" needs some help.
Premer benefited from Kale Kern's tipped pass en route to a game-clinching 38-yard interception return to close out the Indians 43-19.
The Panthers offensive line of center Karter Brown, guards Blaine Ensley and Jace Deines and tackles Trenton Kern and freshman Colby Spore were the secret to success against a stout Hays defensive line.
"I was proud of our guys upfront battling all night and handling their defensive line, that has given teams trouble," Beck said.
The Panthers answered the question about their perceived lack of quality opponents with a 3-touchdown victory while the Indians had played state ranked Derby, Manhattan and Junction City.
"That thing was a dogfight from the get-go," Beck said, "Our kids rose to the occasion. I was proud of our guys battling all night. We had to play four quarters, a complete game against a good opponent."
Though the Panthers have secured their primary goal of winning the WAC and the top seed, there are miles to go before the Panthers can sleep, according to author Robert Frost.
Beck is taking nothing for granted heading to a final WAC game against Garden City.
"There'a lot of football left to be played," Beck said. "We've got to get better and prepare for next week."
Hays High coach Tony Crough believes 5A West runs through Great Bend.
"That's the best football team we've seen. They could beat Derby, Manhattan and Junction City," Crough said in a postgame radio interview. "They better than us right now. They're good at peaking in week 7."
Great Bend 7 0 14 22 — 43
Hays High 0 0 7 12 — 19
GB—Ian Premer 12 run (Giovanni Cruz kick)
GB—Ian Premer 54 run (Cruz kick)
H—Holden Lind 2 run (Carson Moore kick)
GB—Ian Premer 64 pass from Daxton Minton (Cruz kick)
H—Braxton Basgall 10 run (kick fails)
GB—Minton 25 run (Cruz kick)
H—Lind 54 run (pass fails)
GB—Ian Premer 2 run (Jacob Hall pass from Minton)
GB—Ian Premer 38 interception return (Cruz kick)
RUSHING—GB—21-205; Ian Premer 8-139; Minton 8-57; Conner Holladay 4-7; Cooper Ohnmacht 1-2; H—55-329; Lind 36-253; Basgall 10-59; Zane Viegra 8-14; Purdy 1-3.
PASSING—GB—Minton 11-19-1, 187; H—Viegra 8-17-1, 93.
RECEIVING—GB—Ian Premer 5-123; Cooper Ohnmacht 5-56; Jacob Hall 1-8; H—Brogan Albers 2-47; Jarek Purdy 4-27; Lind 2-9.
