In a must win game on the road Friday, the Powell Panthers and Green River Wolves were in a high scoring contest in the first half, before the Panther defense shut out the hosts in the second half cruising to a 57-17 victory and the first 3A West win of the season.

POWELL 57, GREEN RIVER 17

Both teams were seeking a first win in conference play, as the Panthers (4-3 overall, 1-2 3A West) and Wolves (1-6 overall, 0-3 3A West) came out firing early.

Green River got on the board first, driving downfield and striking on a 24-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-0.

Powell answered, driving quickly down the field and scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run by Trevon Abraham to make it 7-7 with 7:48 remaining in the first quarter.

The Panthers got the ball back immediately, when Dusty Carter laid a hit on the Wolves’ quarterback, stripping the ball and giving Powell the ball at the opposing 18-yard line.

After three plays the Panthers scored when McKale Foley caught a pass from Keona Wisniewski, racing into the end zone for the 15-yard touchdown to make it 14-7.

“We were running the ball so well. We got in a couple series and I was like ‘have we even thrown the ball yet? Maybe I should do that,’” coach Chase Kistler said. 

Green River had an answer, scoring on a 6-yard touchdown run to tie the contest with 2:20 left in the first quarter.

Powell quickly responded and drove down the field, getting to the 1-yard line at the end of the quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter, Wisniewski rushed in a touchdown on a broken play to make it 21-14.

On their next drive the Wolves started moving down the field, before the Panthers forced an incompletion on fourth down near midfield to maintain their lead.

Powell’s drive went nowhere as penalties piled up, and a bad bounce on the ensuing punt gave Green River good field position with 5:45 left in the half.

“The penalties were kind of a mix of offense and defense,” Kistler said. “The good thing about the penalties in this one offensively — we managed for the most part to get back on track and not let it kill us. We sure did make our lives harder than it had to be.”

The Wolves took their time, moving down the field before the drive stalled and they settled for a 31-yard field goal to make it 21-17 at the break.

Opening the second half the Panthers started controlling the game, driving down the field before a 10-yard touchdown rush by Abraham — a high snap on the extra point led to a pass from Wisniewski to Foley to make it 29-17.

Powell changed up its coverage defensively and slowed down the Wolves, forcing a punt on their first drive.

“We changed up our coverage a little bit. We knew right away what they were trying to accomplish,” Kistler said. “We just put guys in a better opportunity to make positive plays I would say and we did.”

The Panthers took their next drive just over 50 yards, capped off by a 1-yard sneak by Wisniewski to make it 36-17 with 3:18 left in the third quarter.

Powell’s defense stayed in control, as Wisniewski intercepted a pass near midfield and returned it to the Wolves’ 10-yard line, but a hold on the return moved the Panthers back to the Wolves’ 27-yard line.

The Panthers took that drive into the start of the fourth quarter, where they faced a third and 11 from the 14-yard line to start the final frame.

Powell got 4 yards on a toss to Abraham, before Wisniewski found Alex Jordan on a 10-yard pass in the back of the end zone on fourth down to make it 43-17.

“We had a few hiccups in the first half on offense,” Kistler said. “By the second half, I was really proud of our line that was kind of like our old way our line used to play at the beginning of the season. Just confident, communicating and picking up blocks like crazy.”

The Panthers got the ball back shortly after, when Doug Bettger recovered a fumble to give Powell the ball at the Green River 44-yard line.

Abraham capped off the five minute drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, giving Powell a 50-17 advantage.

Breckyn Kobbe picked off a pass on the first play of the next drive, giving the Panthers the ball one last time.

Lincoln Crawford capped off the evening for the Panthers, scoring on a 1-yard rush with three seconds left to make it 57-17.

Wisniewski led with 137 yards and two touchdowns through the air, adding 113 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns on the ground.

Abraham added 114 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while Evan Whitlock led the Panthers with 71 receiving yards on four catches.

FINAL HOME GAME

Powell returns home this week for the final time, with a likely playoff spot at stake this week between the Panthers and the visiting Jackson Broncs (3-4 overall, 1-2 3A West) on Friday night.

“They’re a good athletic team, physical up front on the line, but they throw the ball around like crazy,” Kistler said. “They do spread you out and they throw all the plays, but they still establish a little bit of a run threat … We just need to be disciplined at every position and just recognizing what’s happening in front of you is going to be important. Then rallying to the ball is always important.”

If Powell wins, it will guarantee a postseason spot. If the Panthers lose they will need to win at Evanston in the final game of the season and need some help to make it to the postseason.

Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Panther Stadium.

POWELL 57, GREEN RIVER 17

Total tackles then solo tackles in ()

Passing — Keona Wisniewski 11-16, 137 yards, 2 touchdowns

Rushing — Trevon Abraham 21-114, 3 touchdowns; Keona Wisniewski 12-113, 2 touchdowns; Lincoln Crawford 5-13, 1 touchdown; Jordan Loera 1-13; Tyler Wenzel 2-5; McKale Foley 1-4, Tanner Seifert 1-2

Receiving — Evan Whitlock 4-71; McKale Foley 3-37, 1 touchdown; Alex Jordan 3-19, 1 touchdown; Tyler Wenzel 1-10

Tackles — Keona Wisniewski 11 (4), Trevon Abraham 6 (4), Jordan Loera 5 (5), McKale Foley 5 (2), Evan Whitlock 3 (2), Dusty Carter 3 (2), Caleb Ashcraft 3 (2), Doug Bettger 2 (1), Brady Harvey 2 (2), Alex Jordan 1 (1), Weston Hull 1

Tackles for loss — Keona Wisniewski 1, Dusty Carter 1

Sacks — Dusty Carter 1

Pass breakups — Jordan Loera 1, Trevon Abraham 1

Forced Fumbles — Evan Whitlock 1, Dusty Carter 1, Doug Bettger 1

Fumble Recoveries — Dusty Carter 1, Doug Bettger 1

Interceptions — Keona Wisniewski 1, Breckyn Kobbe 1, Lincoln Crawford 1