Independence Community College scored first, but the Panthers dominated the rest of the game last Saturday, Oct. 17, to earn an impressive 41-23 win.
The Panthers took over the first half after allowing only one touchdown by Independence. Quarterback Mitch Wieland connected for two touchdowns and one conversion pass in the first quarter. He threw to Joe DiTomaso for a 2-yard touchdown and then to Jaleel Scott for a 13-yard touchdown, then connected on a 2-point conversion pass to Scott. In the second quarter Dustin Caldwell ran in a 6-yard touchdown and Solomon Cooper ran in for the 2-point conversion. The Panthers finished the half up by 22-7.
The second half of the game Wieland took over the scoring for the Panthers. He ran in a 26-yard touchdown and a 1-yard touchdown. Independence scored 2 touchdowns in the second half and made a 2-point conversion. KeAaris Ardley ended the game with a bang when he intercepted a pass late in the 4th quarter and ran the ball in for a touchdown; Koddy Hildreth's kick after the touchdown was good.
The Panthers will be on the road again this weekend, playing at Iowa Central in Fort Dodge on Saturday, Oct. 24; kick-off time is 1 pm.